Update@3:53 p.m.:
Former Springboro Police Lt. Jim Barton will remain in the Warren County Jail while awaiting retrial.
During a hearing Monday, Judge Michael Gilb said he would issue a decision on Barton’s bond request.
A 10-day trial was scheduled to begin on Sept. 19 in Warren County Common Pleas Court.
Barton’s wife, Elaine, and supporters sat in the front row. Media filled one half of the audience gallery in the courtroom.
Barton and his wife have agreed to pledge their home in Springboro as bail in order to secure his release. In a motion filed Friday, his lawyer, Christopher Pagan, also suggested the court set bond at $55,000 - the amount set before his trial in 2005.
Since his conviction, Barton has hired a series of lawyers to file appeals to overturn the case and win his freedom.
First report:
Former Springboro Police Lt. Jim Barton is scheduled for a court appearance in Lebanon today, after 11 years in state prison.
Barton’s conviction for hiring those responsible for raping and killing his wife in 1995 was overturned by the U.S. Circuit court of Appeals.
He is in the Warren County jail, awaiting the 2:30 p.m. hearing over whether he should be granted bail while awaiting retrial.
Barton was convicted of aggravated burglary and involuntary manslaughter in connection with his wife’s death in 1995.
The U.S. 6th Circuit of Appeals last year overturned Barton’s conviction and ordered him retried or released within six months.
Barton was indicted after a cold-case investigation and convicted in 2005 after a two-week trial. He maintained his innocence and was supported at trial by Vickie Barton’s mother. The conviction withstood appeals until the filing in the 6th Circuit in Cincinnati.
To get news and weather updates on your smartphone, download the WHIO mobile apps here.
