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SOUTH BEND – A man accused of an April 2011 killing in South Bend is free.
The state has dropped murder charges against 35-year-old James Bond, Jr. of South Bend.
Bond was charged with the shooting death of 22-year-old Ramon Hamilton. On April 21, 2011, Hamilton was found lying on a sidewalk near the corner of Lindsey and Leland shot multiple times.
After a three-day trial in December 2012, Bond was found ‘not guilty’ of felony murder and robbery. The jury was “hung,” unable to reach a verdict on the murder charge.
The St. Joseph County prosecutor’s office has determined there is no additional evidence and doesn’t believe a second jury trial would end in a conviction, so the state filed a motion to dismiss the charge, and the court approved that motion during a hearing on Monday.
If additional evidence is later found, the state may be able to re-file the murder charge, since murder has no statute of limitations.