THE BRONX (PIX11) — A Bronx judge released a man accused of killing his 15-year-old stepson without bail earlier this week, as lawmakers in Albany debate whether the state’s bail laws need to be changed again.
Tyresse Minter, 28, has been accused of fatally strangling his stepson a month after he was released from prison on parole. 15-year-old Corde Scott was found unresponsive in his family’s Bronx home back in January.
Minter was arraigned for manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide. Prosecutors asked the judge to keep Minter in jail as he waited for trial. Instead, the judge released him without bail.
Minter was later re-arrested for violating his parole.
Gov. Kathy Hohcul called out the case and said, “DOCCS is initiating the parole revocation process due to his indictment for criminal negligent homicide and manslaughter. We will continue working closely with the Bronx District Attorney’s office throughout this process as it prosecutes the charges, and we will continue coordinating with our partners in law enforcement to strengthen public safety across the State.”
The case comes as Governor Hochul is fighting to strengthen New York’s bail laws as part of the ongoing state budget negotiations. The budget was due on April 1. Hochul believes judges should not have to use the least restrictive means when setting bail.
During a press briefing in Albany, Hochul said, “We need to make sure judges understand that they have the discretion to make the right decision in the right case.”
“The governor is advancing modest changes to the horrendous cashless bail law, a disaster that has made New York less safe,” Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt told PIX11 News.
Brooklyn Assemblymember Latrice Walker is holding her ground, standing by the current bail laws. Walker said there’s no evidence that bail reform has made New York more dangerous.
“We’ve seen reports from the Department of Criminal Justice Services which have indicated that bail reform has not led to a rise in crime in our state as well as across the country. We are also noticing that people are returning to court 99.999% of the time,” Walker said.
