NEWARK — A Superior Court judge today reduced the bail for one of the men charged with killing five Newark teenagers who vanished in August 1978. Since his arrest in late March, the defendant, Lee Anthony Evans, has been held on $5 million bail. At this morning's hearing in Superior Court in Newark, Judge Peter Vazquez lowered that amount...
Lee Anthony Evans, 56, of Irvington appears in Superior Court in Newark, arraigned in the murder of five teenage boys in 1978, in this March 2010 photo.NEWARK — A Superior Court judge today reduced the bail for one of the men charged with killing five Newark teenagers who vanished in August 1978.
Since his arrest in late March, the defendant, Lee Anthony Evans, has been held on $5 million bail. At this morning's hearing in Superior Court in Newark, Judge Peter Vazquez lowered that amount to $1.25 million after a motion from Evans’ attorney, Michael Robbins.
Evans’ family and 30 "members of the community" attended the hearing to show their support, Robbins said. Evans has no prior criminal history, he added, and never left the Newark area. "The court was filled with the fruits of his roots," Robbins said. The family is expected to post bail.
Evans, 56, and Philander Hampton, 53, are charged with luring the five boys into a vacant house in Newark on Aug. 20, 1978, then setting fire to the home. Their bodies were never found.
Both defendants have pleaded not guilty. A grand jury proceeding is expected for June 11.
Previous Coverage:
• Suspects plead not guilty in case of five Newark teens killed 32 years ago
• Deaths of five Newark teens haunt families decades later as arrests are announced
• Timeline of investigation into 1978 disappearance of 5 Newark teens
| Police arrest two men for decades old Newark murders |