Judge sets $1 million bond on each suspect in triple homicide

After a hearing interrupted by one outburst from the audience Friday, a judge set bonds totaling $1 million on each of the three youths charged in the brutal Jan. 4 triple homicide of Gloria Short, her son and granddaughter.

Superior Court Judge Gil McBride set those bonds for Rufus Lanard Burks, 16; Raheam Daniel Gibson, 19; and Jervarceay Tapley, 18, after six witnesses related to the victims testified the family would fear for its safety were the suspects released from jail.

District Attorney Julia Slater requested those bonds for each suspect based on these amounts and charges: $300,000 for each of the three murder charges; $30,000 on each of two counts of auto theft and one of burglary; and $10,000 for using a knife to commit a crime.

They are charged in the homicides of Short, 54; her son Caleb Short, 17; and granddaughter Gianna Lindsey, 10, who were found dead in Short’s 3057 Bentley Drive home in Upatoi around 8 a.m. that Monday when Short’s husband, a nurse, got home from working a night shift at a local hospital.

The husband, Robert Short Sr., was the first to testify during Friday’s bond hearing. Clad in a blue nurse’s uniform, he told the court of coming home that day to find his wife and granddaughter both beaten and stabbed to death, and his son fatally bludgeoned. He asked McBride to deny the suspects’ bond.

Next came Shameika Averett, Gloria Short’s daughter, Caleb’s sister and Gianna’s mother. She first read a letter from her brother-in-law, Joseph Roberson, who wrote of the family’s “insurmountable grief and anger” and urged the judge not to release the suspects to enjoy the company of their families after allegedly depriving the Short family of its loved ones.

“We can’t give them a hug and a kiss and tell them we love them,” he wrote.

Averett said the homicides left her “motherless and childless in the blink of an eye.” She accused the three of killing her family for nothing more valuable than clothes, shoes, money and two automobiles.

“They do not deserve to breathe the fresh air we breathe,” she told McBride, later adding, “My family members and I do not deserve to fear for our lives. We have suffered enough.”

Her fiancé, Johnny King, said the suspects should not be free to celebrate holidays and birthdays with their families. “I feel that when you take somebody else’s life, you sacrifice your own life,” he said.

Gloria Short’s niece Denicia Sumbry told the court the three defendants obviously were not properly supervised the night of the homicides, and she did not think that would change were they out of jail.

Said a nephew, Ken Stathams: “I’m afraid they would skip bond and never be brought to justice.”

Said another relative, Beverly Roberson: “I fear for the safety of surviving family members.”

William Kendrick, who represents Gibson, was the only defense attorney to call a witness. Summoning Detective Alan Malone, the lead investigator, Kendrick asked about his client’s cooperating in the investigation.

Police earlier said Gibson’s mother contacted them upon hearing from his sister that her son knew about the triple homicide. His attorneys said Gibson’s information helped break the case.

Kendrick tried to get Malone to testify that Gibson since has posed no threat to witnesses in the case or to the community at large, but the detective repeatedly responded, “He was involved in a triple homicide.”

Slater objected that Malone could not testify to Gibson’s conduct because the officer did not continuously monitor the suspect.

It was during this exchange that Gibson’s sister, later identified as Treasure Johnson, angrily got up and marched out of the courtroom, raising her voice in protest of what was being said about her brother. McBride ordered her detained, and after the hearing told her such “disrespectful behavior” would not be allowed in court.

Much of the hearing focused on the criteria the judge must consider when weighing bonds. Georgia law says a judge may grant bond if the defendant:

• Poses no significant risk of fleeing … or failing to appear in court when required.
• Poses no significant threat or danger to any person … or to any property in the community.
• Poses no significant risk of committing any felony pending trial.
• Poses no significant risk of intimidating witnesses or otherwise obstructing … justice.

Attorneys focused their arguments on those considerations.

Jennifer Curry, who represents Burks, said he has won “awards and certificates” for his conduct since he has been detained in a youth detention center in Crisp County. “He hasn’t demonstrated any aggressive behavior,” she said, adding her client poses no flight risk, and under the law is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Shevon Sutcliffe Thomas, who represents Tapley, said his client has no prior criminal record, and never sought to flee or dodge meetings with police while he was under investigation. Tapley’s family is here, and the court had no reason to believe he would commit any offense or harass witnesses were he out on bond, the attorney added.

Kendrick emphasized his client’s volunteering to assist police in the early stages of their investigation: “Mr. Gibson has been more than cooperative.”

Slater told McBride the investigation was still underway, with forensic reports still pending, and she feared releasing the suspects would enable them to destroy any evidence police had yet to discover.

She noted also that some witnesses in the case are young and could be easily intimidated were one of the defendants free to threaten them.

Facing life in prison if convicted, each suspect has sufficient motivation to flee Columbus, given the opportunity, she said.

The nature of the homicides should be considered in weighing whether the defendants’ present a danger to others, she said.

“We’ve got three people who were brutally beaten,” she said, later adding, “This is not a case that’s like any other case.”

Georgia law says defendants detained for 90 days or more without indictment are entitled to a bond. According to their attorneys, Tapley has been jailed since Jan. 14; Gibson since Jan. 12; and Burks since Feb. 3.

While agreeing to Slater’s recommended bonds, McBride said he periodically inquire about the progress of the case, and expected to hold a status conference in late July or early August, when defense attorneys may seek lower bonds.

This story was originally published May 20, 2016 at 1:40 PM with the headline "Judge sets $1 million bond on each suspect in triple homicide."