WEST MEMPHIS, AR - A West Memphis mother says she is beside herself as she grieves the loss of her son, while the woman charged with shooting him walks free.
Nina Andrews says she is still in shock that a West Memphis judge set bond for Kristen Andrews, her daughter-in-law, at $5,000.
"It is killing me inside," says Andrews. "She shouldn't be walking free. She should be in jail."
Police say Stanley Andrews, 29, was shot and killed on Tuesday, August 23, 2011, inside the couple's home in Marion.
"He was looking forward to his 30th birthday," Andrews tells abc24.com fighting back tears. "Did he see it? No."
At Kristin Andrews' initial court appearance on Wednesday, prosecutor Lindsey Fairley recommended Judge William Rainey set her bond at $1,000. Rainey ended up setting it at $5,000.
Reached by phone on Thursday night, Fairley said he thought $1,000 was appropriate considering Andrews is a mother of three children, and he deemed her not to be a flight risk.
She is also the daughter of a high-ranking deputy in the Crittenden County Sheriff's Department.
Local lawyers surveyed by abc24.com say setting bonds can be a tricky thing. The lawyers, who didn't want to be identified because they may have to appear before the judge, say bonds can vary based on the crime, the suspect and the suspect's criminal history.
"Is my son nothing?" Andrews asks. "He can't be anything because $5,000 is nothing."
Judge Rainey says he can't comment because he is still overseeing the proceedings.
