Mayor, state’s attorney condemn judge’s decision to free Rockford murder suspect pre-trial

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara has called a judicial decision to release a murder suspect “unacceptable,” a sentiment echoed by the Winnebago County State’s Attorney, who argued the judge’s decision was “in error.”

Varianna Parsons, 20, and Shawn Bunton, Jr., 24, are charged with first-degree murder in the slaying of Kyle Stephens, 37, who was stabbed to death and found beneath the Whitman Street Bridge on Tuesday morning.

According to Rockford Police, at 3:25 a.m., officers were called to the scene to address a “noise complaint.”

Stephens was found suffering from several stab wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Parsons was arrested on Tuesday and then released on Wednesday following a pretrial detention hearing before Jude Heidi Augustsson. Bunton is still at large.

Winnebago County State’s Attorney J. Hanley issued a statement Friday, saying, “Our office filed a petition to deny Parson’s pretrial release and we presented arguments in support of our petition to the Court. The court found that the legal standard for detention under the SAFE-T Act was not met and Parsons was released from custody.

“On Tuesday, October 14, our office will file a motion for relief (akin to a motion to reconsider) in which we will argue that the judge’s decision to release Parsons was in error and that Parsons should be held in jail while she awaits trial,” Hanley added.

Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara added, “In Rockford, public safety is our top priority. Through historic investments in public safety and the courageous, dedicated work of our officers, we have made great strides toward making Rockford a safer community. In fact, as a community, we’ve reduced violent crime by nearly 40% over the past eight years.

“Judge rulings such as this are, at best, disheartening and, at worst, negligent. This decision does not make our community safer. Our officers worked tirelessly and performed exceptional work to apprehend a murder suspect — only for that suspect to be released by a judge from the comfort of a courtroom. That is simply unacceptable. I strongly support State’s Attorney Hanley’s aggressive arguments to detain Varianna Parsons,” McNamara said Friday.

Parsons is due to appear for her next court hearing on November 13th.