BEULAH -- Accused murderer Joni Holbrook will be released from jail and allowed to live with her parents as she awaits trial in the shooting death of her husband, a Michigan State Police sergeant.
Benzie District Judge Nancy Kida granted Holbrook a $30,000 bond upon completion of her preliminary examination Monday. The family hopes to post bond by the end of the week, defense attorney Jim Amberg said.
Holbrook, 47, is charged with an open count of murder in the Aug. 10 shooting death of her husband, state police Sgt. Melvin P. Holbrook. Police believe she shot him as he slept in the couple's Benzie County residence.
Kida ruled there is enough evidence to send the case to trial after the two-day exam wrapped at about 3 p.m. It began Sept. 28, but was postponed until court scheduling allowed for a full day of testimony.
Defense attorney Jesse L. Williams said Holbrook had a heart blockage detected during an EKG last week and may soon need a stent. The Benzie County Jail isn't equipped to deal with her medical condition, Williams said.
Kida ordered Holbrook to wear an electronic tether equipped with GPS tracking. She's allowed to leave her parents' Grand Traverse County home only for medical appointments or court proceedings, Kida said.
Kida said she granted bond because Holbrook doesn't appear to be a danger to the public and doesn't have a criminal record.
A date for Holbrook's circuit court arraignment hadn't been set Monday.
Much of Monday's testimony came from Benzie County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Troy Lamerson, the lead investigator on the case, and Benzie 911 operator Nicole Smith.
Lamerson told Amberg during cross examination that he doesn't consider it a conflict of interest for state police to help with the sheriff's department investigation of the case, even if some state officers knew Melvin Holbrook personally.
Police reports indicate several state police officers were on scene, including Traverse City post commander Lt. Bill Elliott. Holbrook worked as a desk sergeant at the Traverse City Post.
Lamerson also said he ruled out Joni Holbrook's son as a suspect based largely on an interview another deputy conducted with the son the night of the incident. The son, Chad Dilts, 24, was asleep in the home and awoke to his mother yelling that she shot her husband, police reports indicate.
Investigators didn't take Dilts' fingerprints or test his body or clothes for gunshot residue, Lamerson said.
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