Alleged killer free on bail; victim's family stunned

PAULSBORO -- Authorities and the family of a murdered Paulsboro man have expressed concerns after the alleged murderer was released on bail.

Darnell Samuels, of Pennsville -- the man who was charged with the June 19, 2016 murder of Jonathan Gardner, a 24-year-old Paulsboro man -- had his bail reduced from $1 million to $35,000 on Feb. 24 and he was released from jail three days later.

Gardner's family was notified of his release and were quick to raise their concerns of justice and safety.

"We're just unsure how he can get that low of bail if he purposely murdered someone," said Dominque Merchant, Gardner's girlfriend. "Justice isn't being served if he can just walk freely."

"I mean, what else can he do now that he's out?" she added.

At the time of the shooting, which happened on Father's Day, witnesses told police that a vehicle had pulled up to Gardner's Pine Street home and a verbal altercation took place before the shooting. Gardner was pronounced dead about an hour later. Police were able to identify 33-year-old Samuels as the suspect. He turned himself in on June 28 and was taken to the Salem County Jail.

Bail was set at $1 million at the time. He was denied a bail reduction in July after Judge Kevin Smith deemed the top range bail "clearly appropriate," noting that Samuels had six previous felony convictions including weapons and robbery offenses, and that he could face a life sentence if convicted of Gardner's murder.

However, on Feb. 24, Judge Robert Becker reduced the bail to $35,000, according to the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office.

Gardner's family reached out to the Prosecutor's Office for answers on Monday, asking how the bail could be reduced to such a low amount. According to the Prosecutor's Office, the reduction is below bail guidelines for first-degree murder charges.

Guidelines call for first-degree murder charges for defendants arrested before the start of the year come with a $250,000 to $1 million bail, to be paid in full with no option for 10 percent payment.