Pennsylvania lawmakers propose bail reforms following murder of Pittsburgh-area doctor

A group of state lawmakers is introducing legislation that aims to strengthen the bail process and protect potential victims of violence from offenders with prior violent convictions or charges. 

They gathered in Moon Park Wednesday to announce the legislation, while also calling for reform of pre-trial bail procedures in Allegheny County.

Republican state Reps. Jeremy Shaffer, Natalie Mihalek, Valerie Gaydos, Jason Ortitay and Andrew Kuzma are co-sponsoring two separate pieces of legislation following the recent murder of Dr. Idris Evans, a pediatrician at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh who was killed during an attack at his Edgewood home.

House Bill 2856, introduced by Shaffer, requires consideration of prior violent convictions, burglary convictions, other pending criminal charges and protection from abuse orders when a decision is made regarding bail.

"The question must be asked: How is a person with a violent past released on bail without stronger safeguards?" said Shaffer in a written statement. "The tragic murder of Dr. Evans makes it crystal clear that assessing danger to the community must be a central part of any bail decision."

Mihalek also plans to introduce legislation requiring a complete and current criminal history report, including in-state, out-of-state and federal records, to be provided to judges or magistrates before bail is set or modified.

"This issue has exposed a simple truth about the Allegheny County bail system — there is no one looking out for victims in this case, the general public," Mihalek said in the statement.

That claim was echoed by Kelly Rae Robertson, a former Allegheny County Court employee of more than 14 years, who worked as a bail investigator at the Allegheny County Jail. Robertson said she witnessed pressure to recommend release of high-risk offenders, due to grants received from outside sources with the intent of keeping jail population numbers low. 

Because of those non-monetary bail releases, Robertson alleges several violent offenders were allowed to go free and then went on to allegedly commit more violent attacks.

"There's not enough time today to tell all the stories like these or to name all the people who are now dead because the priority was the grant metrics and a lower jail count rather than public safety," said Robertson.

State Sen. Devlin Robinson, R-Allegheny County, also introduced Senate Bill 490, which calls for an examination of the bail process. The bill, which had bipartisan co-sponsors, passed the state Senate in March.

"Pennsylvanians deserve a criminal justice system that takes the threat of violent crime seriously and puts the safety of victims and communities at the forefront of bail decisions," said Robinson.

The lawmakers also pointed to other violent murders in the county at the hands of violent offenders, like the murder of Benjamin Brallier, an off-duty Liquor Control Enforcement agent who was stabbed on the Montour Trail. Anthony Quesen, who had been previously released on non-monetary bail for a robbery charge the previous year, was sentenced to 16 to 42 years for Brallier's murder.

Shaffer said the bill's main objective is to ensure cases like this never happen again.

"We owe that to the Evans family," Shaffer said. "We owe that to the families whose names we will never have to learn if we get this right."