A man charged with aggravated murder in Austintown, Ohio, now has a bond of $500,000. It was set at a hearing on Monday, Oct. 19. He is still in the Mahoning County Jail.
The man is Mark Burley, 36, of Boardman. Court and jail records show he has not posted bond. To get out, he would need $50,000.
Aggravated murder is one of the most serious charges in Ohio.
Here is what police say happened. A police press release says officers were called about 3 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 9. The call was to the Boardman campus of St. Elizabeth Health Center. Police say Burley was covered in blood. They say he reported the crime there.
A Boardman police report says Burley reported that he had murdered his father. That led officers to check on a home in Austintown. Police say they found a 71-year-old man dead inside.
The Mahoning County Coroner's Office has named the man as John Burley, 71. Police and the coroner have not released how he died.
Burley's first court date was Wednesday, Oct. 14. He appeared by video from the jail. He did not enter a plea. Judge Scott Hunter denied bail that day. Michael Yacovone has been named as Burley's public defender.
Court records show subpoenas were served on five Austintown police officers. A subpoena is a court order to show up. Three of the officers are detectives. One is a lieutenant. One is a patrolman.
At Monday's hearing in Austintown Municipal Court, Burley's bond was changed to $500,000. Before that, he was being held without bond.
His case is now being looked at by a Mahoning County grand jury. A grand jury is a group of local citizens. They hear the state's proof in private. Then they decide if there is enough to bring formal charges. Those charges are called an indictment.
No date for a grand jury decision has been made public.
Many questions are still open. Police have not said what led up to the death. They have not said how the man died.
Austintown sits in Mahoning County, near Youngstown.
Everyone is presumed innocent until proved otherwise.
