Amount of Evidence

Depending on the amount of evidence against a person, a judge will consider if they seem to be guilty or not and the odds of them being sentenced guilty for the evidence. If the defendant is likely guilty, bail will tend to be higher to discourage the guilty person from trying to run.

We don't know all the evidence that the prosecutor has since there was no preliminary hearing. We do know that she was shot close range in the face, and despite his defense that this was an accident/self-defense, there were no defensive wounds on Jason. This was stated to the judge in the bond hearing.

Criminal History

If the person is known for having done other crimes in the past, bail will be set high in order to protect the community from them in the event of a repeat offense.  He doesn't have a criminal history, but murder is a very serious offense, even if it's his first.  Although he doesn’t have any previous charges, he has admitted to a Roswell Detective to stalking and illegally recording conversations at his ex-wife’s residence while they were still married. This is all documented on the detective’s report from January of this year. For whatever reason, his ex-wife decided not to press charges at the time, but we know she did file for divorce.

The Risk to the Community

Public safety is an important consideration in setting bail. If the defendant has a history of violent behavior or is a repeat offender, they will likely be considered a risk to the community and be given a higher bail amount.

Police and court docs in Fulton and Walton County show that he is certainly a risk to his ex-wife and her kids. He stated to the Roswell Detective in January that he would stop at nothing to put his ex-wife in jail, even if it meant he would be in there too. This was after he accused his ex-wife of tampering with his brakes. He has a history of severe mental illness and paranoia that is unpredictable, which is also documented in his divorce case. At this point, Jason has nothing left to lose.

Flight Risk

If a person is guilty and knows their chances of being given a bad sentence is high, they would be considered a flight risk as they are likely to skip their trial. Another warning sign of a flight risk is that they have a passport, family in another country, or a history of skipping bail.

After Jason shot and killed Kelly, he fled the scene without calling the police or EMS to get Kelly medical attention. He fled to his father’s house, where when he realized his stepmother was calling the police, he fled yet again, armed. He then abandoned his phone and vehicle at a gas station and had his mother pick him up. From there we know he went to the hospital for a mental evaluation, where he got into an armed standoff with police. He is absolutely a flight risk.

The severity of the Offense

The worse the crime, the higher the bail; the more minor the crime, the less the bail. The amount set for bail may also depend on if there are large fines involved with the crime or considerable jail time expected. I think we can all agree, the severity of Murder is pretty high, if not the most severe.

Again, we would like to thank ALL of the supporters we've had so far in our mission of getting Kelly Vucelich. Continue to share this petition and help us put pressure on the DA and the Judge to answer WHY this man was granted ANY kind of bond at all.