Since there is no death penalty in CT, it may be that all defendants are entitled to bond, in an amount determined by the judge, as long as certain conditions are met. This bond was set by the arrest warrant, so when Coangelo had the judge sign the warrant, Coangelo most likely requested that amount.
There was not much back and forth about that figure in court, which makes me think the State was confident that number was going to stick (Pattis knew this, too, but...more posturing). Had the judge set too high a bond, he might have been concerned about being overturned by an appellate court.
Still, even a defendant entitled to bond can have it denied if they are deemed a fight risk or a danger to the community. It is the very rare defendant charged with first degree murder who is given pretrial release, but it apparently does happen in CT. Pattis actually was complaining to the judge about lower amounts set in other murder cases there. NOT at all typical but it must be how it works in that state.
Do I think Dulos is BOTH a flight risk and a danger to the community? Of course! This judge, however, is bound by the case law in CT and he may not have believed he had the power to deny release outright, so he set the bond as high as he could. Given Dulos' arrogance and inability to follow the law, he may just be wasting more money by posting bond, because one single violation and all that money flies out the window.
