http://www.wrcbtv.com/story/30923373/bond-revoked-for-grundy-county-man-after-10-months-free
Bond revoked for Grundy County man after 10 months free
Posted: Jan 08, 2016 11:25 PM EDT
Updated: Oct 11, 2016 11:34 AM EST
By Michelle Heron, Reporter
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GRUNDY COUNTY, TN -
UPDATE: A Grundy County man is back in jail after only eight months as a free man. Adam Braseel's bond was revoked and he was taken back into custody Friday, when a bondsman came to his door unexpectedly.
Braseel spent 8 years in prison for a murder he says he didn't commit. In January, he was released and granted a new trial.
The family said they're ready for this nightmare to be over for good. They now wait for answers to why Adam was brought back to jail. Adam Braseel spent eight years in prison; accused of killing 60-year-old Malcolm Burrows in 2006. In January of this year, he thought he was a free man. “He has taken advantage of everything outside God has given him. He was cramped up in a little cell for 8 years,” said his older sister, Christina Braseel.
For the past eight months, the family has awaited a decision from the criminal court of appeals on a new trial. Just days before the decision was due, a bondsman showed up at their doorstep. “Somebody came knocking on the door to take him to the jail because they said the bond was revoked, anytime a bond is revoked you go to jail.”
A bond can be revoked for various reasons including failure to appear, the defendant becomes a flight risk, or the agreement made in exchange for bail is broken. Braseel's family said he followed all rules. “He's been an exemplary person in this community. He has not missed church, he's worked every day, and he’s volunteered. Everything you can imagine.”
The family is now working to gather seven thousand dollars to bond Braseel out for a second time. They hope this is the end to their long ordeal. “Innocent man in prison for 8 years, comes out for 8 months and then gets put back in jail and say you do not get a new trial and we have to file to the Supreme Court.”
The Grundy County Sheriff said the bonding company asked to be relieved of their obligation for Braseel. The circuit court will have a bond hearing to determine if they can be removed. Braseel remains in the Sheriff's custody.
If Braseel bonds out of jail, his next step would be to file an appeal with the State Supreme Court.
Stay with WRCBtv.com for updates to this story.
PREVIOUS STORY: A Grundy County man will get another chance to prove his innocence inside a courtroom.
A jury convicted Adam Braseel in 2007 for beating Malcolm Burrows, 60, to death and assaulting Burrows' sister Rebecca Hill on Melissa Rock Road. At the time, investigators tied Braseel to the crime when Hill picked Braseel out of a lineup. He was sentenced to spend life in prison with the possibility of parole.
Throughout the process, Braseel has maintained his innocence.
He walked out of prison Friday night and hugged his mother. It was a moment eight years in the making.
"There's not a good chance to get exonerated or a new trial and I'm so blessed," he said.
Braseel's sister Christina has spent years combing through her brother's case and says she's found a number of discrepancies.
"Everything from the murder weapon changing all throughout to the witness statements from the preliminary hearing to all throughout the trial from both of the witnesses," she said.
Those discrepancies led Grundy County Circuit Judge Justin Angel to grant a relief from conviction ordering a new trial and allowed Braseel to go home.
"I had 51 years over my head. I was convicted of a murder and assaults I know nothing about. I've been in prison for 29-hundred and 20-something days. I'm an innocent man," he said.
"I knew this day would come. We just have to be patient and we have to keep our faith that God will deliver. He did not want Adam to suffer as a murderer but while he was there, he used him and he did just that," Christina added.
Christina still wants justice for the Burrows family and wants to see the person that did commit the crime behind bars.
"I promise you, we would work together with them, if they would allow us to, to find out who really did this, absolutely." she said.
The state has appealed the order. Braseel will remain free until the state's appeal is ruled upon or a new trial date is set.