A man charged in connection with the Sept. 9, 2010, murder of Chance LeCroy in Lupton City, who is a key state witness against his two co-defendants, was allowed to make bond on Monday.
Criminal Court Judge Barry Steelman said Ronald Lee Pittman, 42, would be placed on GPS
monitoring with H.A.S. of Tennessee, which he pays for himself, and put under a $100,000 bond. His bond had been $1.6 million.
Prosecutor Neal Pinkston said if Pittman had not testified against Patrick Shane Carmody, 43, and Billy Bob Partin, 39, they "likely would have walked out of the courtroom."
He said the state has not found any physical evidence against any of the defendants, though a few tests have not yet come back from the lab.
Pittman testified in August that he held a gun on Lecroy's roommate in the living room, while in a back bedroom Carmody first fired a shot at Lecroy and then struggled with him and then Partin finished him off with a second gunshot.
He said he later regretted taking part in the robbery and decided to tell the full story.
His longtime minister and former state Trooper Pumpy Tudors testified in behalf of Pittman.
His wife of 19 years, Marlene Pittman, said she had received threatening letters from the co-defendants.
She said her husband is housed with them at the county jail and is in fear they will harm him or have him hurt. She said on one occasion her husband was in a medical area with Carmody, who made a gesture as if he would cut his throat.
Ms. Pittman said her husband had been in his vehicle some five years earlier when he was hit in the back of the head by a stray bullet. She said he had to learn to walk and talk all over again due to the injury that a blow to the head could be fatal for him.
Prosecutor Pinkston said Pittman faces up to 15-25 years. He said any time he receives would be served at 30 percent because of his limited criminal record that includes a theft.