Bigger in Texas: $4 billion bond set in murder case

KILLEEN, Texas — A Texas justice of the peace has set a $4 billion bond for a man accused of murder, records show.

Newly elected Justice of the Peace Claudia Brown set the bond, the largest in Bell County history and possibly the U.S.

County sheriff's Deputy Chief Chuck Cox said he's never heard of such a high bond, the Temple Daily Telegram reported. The highest amount he had previously seen was $1 million.

Due to the high number, the Bell County jail’s booking software could only set the total bond amount at $1,000,000,999.

Brown posted a series of updates on her Facebook profile about the number being so big that a broken system cannot even compute it.

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Antonio Willis, 25, is charged with first-degree murder in the slaying of Donte Samuels, who was found dead in the yard of a home in Killeen, about 70 miles north of Austin.

Willis' lawyer, Billy Ray Hall Jr., said he's confident the amount will be lowered when he makes the request to a state district judge, although he wasn't certain it would be lowered to the point where Willis could afford to post the amount and leave jail until his next court hearing.

Another lawyer, Michael White, said bond is designed to protect the public and ensure a defendant appears in court. It's not meant to be a punitive measure, he said.

"This justice of the peace is abusing the bail process in an attempt to make a name for herself, as opposed to setting a reasonable and affordable bond as required by law," White said. "It makes a mockery of the process and a fool of her."

Lawyer Jeff Parker said the $4 billion bond could be challenged as unconstitutional. The Constitution's Eighth Amendment protects against cruel and unusual punishment and specifically refers to protections against excessive bail or fines.

Willis' bond far exceeds the $3 billion amount set for New York real estate heir Robert Durst before an appeals court in 2004 determined it was unconstitutionally excessive and it was lowered to $450,000. At the time, Durst had recently been acquitted of killing his neighbor while living in Texas. He was being held on related charges.

Contributing: The Associated Press