Senator blasts judge over bail comments after murder suspect’s release
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Tennessee State Senator Brent Taylor is blasting the decision by a Memphis judge to release an 18-year-old charged in the shooting death of a Memphis teenager without bond.
Criminal Court Judge Bill Anderson ordered Edio White to be released on his own recognizance four days after being arrested for the death of 15-year-old Anthony Mason.
18-year-old charged in teen’s death released with no bond
White is charged with first-degree murder, criminal attempt-especially aggravated robbery, and unlawful possession of a weapon.
Sen. Taylor penned a letter to Michelle Long, the administrative director of the Tennessee Administrative Office of Courts, surrounding the release of Edio White.
Taylor said, ” As a senator for Shelby County and a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I am writing your agency to bring attention to the circumstances surrounding the release of Edio White, who is charged with 1st Degree Murder in Shelby County for a murder committed on November 23, 2023. Defendant White was subsequently released on his own recognizance by General Sessions Judge Bill Anderson. The District Attorney had requested bail of $75,000 and enrollment in Memphis Allies program administered by Youth Villages.”
Taylor went on to say, “His animus toward the bail system puts my constituents in more danger. Not only do I feel his contempt for the bail system influenced his decisions, but as the supervising judge over the judicial commissioner program in Shelby County, his influence is corrupting the judicial commissioners’ bail decisions too, which is evidenced by continued setting of low bail amounts.”
He also pointed out Judge Anderson’s comments to the Shelby County Commission back on September 18 about enforcing the bail system.
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“Guess what, who’s going to enforce it? Not me. Not the bail bond company. They could care less about them,” said Anderson.
Taylor also took issue with Judge Anderson’s comments about the role the bail plays in Tennessee’s criminal justice system.
“They (bail bond companies) don’t do anything but collect money from poor people. That’s what they do. That’s how they function. I detest the bail bond system in Shelby County,” Anderson said.
Taylor responded to his comment by saying, “Moreover, he further testified that bail companies only “collect money from poor people.” By assuming our bail system simply “collects money from poor people,” Judge Anderson gravely misunderstands the important role bail plays in Tennessee’s criminal justice system”
WREG did reach out to Judge Anderson for comment Wednesday but so far have not heard back from him.
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