A district court judge on Monday denied a motion to modify a previously set $50,000 cash-only bond for one of three Fremont County residents indicted in a 2022 double homicide case.
Alison Blackwell, the defense attorney for Toni Gurule, 43, filed the motion and asked for a cash surety bond, stating that because the bond is set so high, her client essentially is being held on a no-bond hold.
Anthony Fogle, 47, Suzzete Salyer, 42, and Gurule were indicted on April 30 by a Grand Jury on two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of first-degree kidnapping, each a Class 1 felony. The indictment listed a $50,000 cash-only bond for each of the suspects.
The charges stem from the Feb. 8, 2022, discovery of the bodies of 25-year-old Ryan Roth and 36-year-old Rodolfo Santillan-Reyes, both of Fremont County, in the area of mile marker 10.5 of Phantom Canyon Road (County Road 67).
On Monday, Blackwell said mitigating factors to reduce bond include Gurule being from this area, having three adult children who live in the state, having a younger brother who lives in town and having an apartment set up to go to if released.
She said Gurule's case is likely to go to trial and she has no intention of fleeing.
Deputy District Attorney Wendy Owens asked the court to deny the bond reduction, stating that the $50,000 cash only is a low bond given the charges.
Fremont County District Court Judge Kaitlin Turner pointed out that Gurule has four prior felony convictions and six lifetime failures to appear. If convicted in this current case, Gurule faces a mandatory life sentence.
"I think bond has been appropriately set at $50,000 cash only," Turner said. "I am going to order that the bond remain as set. For these charges, I think the bond is actually lower than what we normally see."
Personal animosity because of slanderous songs/statements sent over social media to Gurule may have led to the shooting deaths, according to the indictment.
The indictment states that Gurule and Salyer knowingly gathered firearms and zip ties to tie up the victims. They then went to the aid of Fogle, who agreed to help them.
The trio went to the home of one of the victims, took them by gunpoint, tied them up and placed them in a car belonging to one of the victims. The defendants drove the victims to a secluded location, where they either personally brought weapons or were aware that weapons were present.
"Defendants Gurule, Salyer, and Fogle all either personally used those weapons to shoot the victims or were aware of the circumstances and substantially aided in the actions," the indictment states. "The shooting caused both victims' deaths."
After the shootings, Gurule and Salyer took the victim's vehicle and cleaned it out, trying to remove any identifying evidence. They "had items clearly addressed to each victim in their trash," the indictment states.
DNA and phone pinging helped to positively identify the suspects and place them close to the victims' residences and also the crime scene Feb. 8, 2022.
Fogle's name has not appeared on the Fremont County District Court docket as of Monday. Salyer is scheduled for a pre-trial conference on Oct. 2. Gurule is slated for arraignment on Oct. 24.
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