Former Anti-Violence Bond Remains $5 Million | News

On By Pranco

A second bond hearing was held Tuesday for 46-year-old Lumumba Sayers Sr. in an Adams County courtroom after the first heated hearing that left family members from both sides of the aisle in tears.

Sayers Sr.’s first bond hearing on August 15 ultimately led to a $5 million bond, an increase from the $1 million bond initially set by 17th Judicial District Judge Jeffrey Ruff.

Despite attorneys’ arguments Tuesday that the bail was too high, Sayers Sr. said bail could be protected and supported by his wider community, Ruff decided to keep the amount the same.

The former Aurora anti-violence attorney and youth supporter faces one count of first-degree murder and two counts of menacing by the 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office following the shooting of 28-year-old Malcolm Watson at his son’s fifth birthday party in August. 10 in Commercial City.

Multiple witnesses told investigators that Sayers Sr., who was not invited to the party, walked up and allegedly shot Watson in the head at close range. He also allegedly pointed a gun at a bystander, took keys from Watson’s body and tried to place the gun underneath him, according to the arrest affidavit.

The shooting is believed — by both police and prosecutors — to be an act of revenge, nearly a year after Sayers Sr.’s 23-year-old son, Lumumba Sayers Jr., was killed. shot and killed on August 19, 2023 at 28th and Welton streets in Denver. A shooting that left four victims left Sayers Jr. and 25-year-old Gulian Musiwa were killed.

Suspect Tyrell Braxton, 24, was arrested a month after the shooting on suspicion of first-degree murder and first-degree assault, and police believe Braxton and Watson were friends.

“I took into account what I heard from the defense side. I took into account what I heard from the people, and I found that the $5 million bond was appropriate,” Ruff said, noting that both community safety and flight risk were important factors in the initial decision to set the bond to pick up.

The first bond hearing caused an uproar in the Brighton courtroom when several members of Watson’s family took the stage to speak about Sayers Sr.’s potential bond.

No one from Sayers Sr.’s family. spoke during the hearing.

Sayers Sr.’s attorney, Megan Downing, on Tuesday called the August hearing an “unusual proceeding,” ultimately leading her to request the second hearing.

The first hearing drew loud shouts from the packed courtroom, with family and friends of both the suspect and the victim shouting at each other across the aisle.

“I think we were all dealing with a very volatile environment. There were about eight deputies here trying to maintain order,” Downing said.

Ruff called the hearing “incredible, intolerable.”

But despite a second hearing and Ruff blocking family members from speaking, the bond remained the same.

Downing argued that the defense has not yet received a wide range of crucial evidence, including the interview footage in which Sayers Sr. allegedly admitted to shooting Watson.

She also argued that Sayers Sr. receives tremendous support from the community he helped build through his Heavy Hands, Heavy Hearts Center founded in 2015. The foundation’s goal was to get kids off the streets with movie nights, Thanksgiving dinners and fitness classes. , camping trips in the mountains and rallies for girls’ empowerment. Fundraising events focused on the prevention of youth violence.

With that support and heavy restrictions – such as house arrest – Sayers Sr. according to Downing should be released until the trial.

Ruff disagreed, noting that his “support” cheered as he entered the courtroom during his first hearing, showing a potentially turbulent situation if he were released.

“The kind of support that you’re all suggesting he has is not the kind of support that this court would want for him in the community,” Ruff said. “It makes it very difficult for me to believe that he can be in the community without a lot of skin in the game to ensure the safety of the victims and this community.”

Tajuana McKinley, Watson’s mother, apparently agreed during the first hearing, saying, “If you release this man, it will be your fault if guns and bloodshed happen in this community… This is far from over , on neither side This continues, Your Honor.”

“It is our responsibility to keep the community safe and I do not believe the community will be safe if this defendant is released,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Laura Anderson.

Ruff also pointed to the greater Colorado community’s desire to keep suspects charged with first-degree murder off the streets with the passage of Amendment I on Nov. 5, which allows judges to deny bail to people charged with first-degree murder premeditation.

While passage of the constitutional amendment does not necessarily play a role in the specific case, it is a general desire of a majority of Colorado voters and a trend that should be taken into account, Ruff said.

“The voters have also given their opinion,” he said. “They tell us they don’t want these cases out on bail, right? That was sent loud and clear.”

Sayers Sr. must next appear in court for a preliminary hearing scheduled for January 3. At that point, prosecutors will present evidence to the judge, who will determine if there is enough to send him to trial.