MACON, Ga. (AP) - Lawyers for the man accused of killing a Mercer University law school graduate are expected to ask a judge on Tuesday to reconsider his bond.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against 26-year-old defendant Stephen McDaniel, who has pleaded not guilty in the June 2011 slaying of Lauren Giddings. Her torso was discovered wrapped in plastic in a garbage bin beside her apartment building.
The Telegraph newspaper reports that attorneys for McDaniel contend that the $850,000 bond amount, set in April, is higher than his family can afford and is akin to denying bond.
The 27-year-old Giddings was from Laurel, Md. McDaniel is from Lilburn, in suburban Atlanta, and is being held at the Bibb County Law Enforcement Center.