WOODLAND, Calif. — A Yolo County prosecutor argued Monday that bail should be revoked for a person accused of murder, as family members of the victims urged the court to return the accused to custody ahead of trial. The accused faces a felony murder charge with additional enhancements after allegedly striking and killing an elderly couple.
Deputy Public Defender Matthew Martinez also filed a motion under California Penal Code Section 995, arguing the court moved the case forward without completing all required procedures. Such a motion allows the defense to challenge a judge’s order and question evidence used to charge the accused with the crimes.
Martinez requested that the trial and all other matters be reviewed in the afternoon by Judge Dante Brown, who had made judgments on previous matters in the case. Judge Paul Richardson agreed, stating it was well within the defense’s right to have all judgments and evidence reviewed.
Deputy District Attorney Aloysisus Patchen also argued for revocation of the accused’s bail because the accused had yet to install a Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitor, or SCRAM, device. Such devices can be incorporated into ankle monitors or vehicles to ensure people with alcohol-related offenses refrain from drinking alcohol.
Richardson said this was concerning because the device was part of the conditions of the accused’s release, which included meeting with probation and installing the SCRAM device.
The court also heard statements from a daughter and granddaughter of the victims, urging the court to revoke the accused’s bail.
During a preliminary hearing Aug. 8, the accused’s bail was set at $25,000. This case has been progressing since October 2025, and the accused had previously been denied bail and was serving time in jail.
The family sought to convince the judge that the accused should not have been released, stating the bail amount was low.
According to the American Civil Liberties Union, cash bonds create a system of inequality in the judicial system based on access to money, stating, “62 percent of people held in jail have not been sentenced, the majority of these people, who should be presumed innocent, are held because they cannot pay cash bail.”
The ACLU highlights that the cost of bail typically falls on the families of people accused of crimes. Moreover, pretrial detention increases conviction rates, as defendants change their pleas in favor of reduced jail time.
New California policies ensure that bail is set at affordable amounts, such as the Humphrey decision, which prevents courts from setting excessive bail amounts, excluding violent felonies.
Richardson reiterated such information to the victims’ family. Richardson said he understood their remorse but could not revoke or raise the amount of the accused’s bail.
The next court date is Sept. 9 for a preliminary hearing.
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