An Orange Beach man found guilty of manslaughter in a 2012 shooting was sentenced to more than 14 years in prison, then released the same day on an appeal bond while he challenges his conviction.
Jon Washington, 43, was convicted in May in the death of his friend, Kenneth Myers, 49. A Baldwin County judge sentenced him to 14 years and four months in prison. That Thursday afternoon, Washington was released from the Baldwin County Corrections Center after posting a $25,000 appeal bond.
Conditions of release
While out on bond, Washington was placed under house arrest and barred from consuming alcohol. The terms permitted him to attend church, go to work and meet with his attorneys, but otherwise confined him as his appeal proceeded.
His attorney, John Beck, expressed confidence in the challenge ahead. “We certainly feel very good about our prospects on appeal,” Beck said. He added that his client understood his improved position. “Mr. Washington also understands he’s in a whole lot better shape than he was prior to trying the case.”
From murder charge to manslaughter conviction
The shooting occurred at a home in the 26800 block of Marina Road in Orange Beach. According to Beck, Myers and Washington had been drinking at the time. When Washington was arrested, he was charged with murder, a count that alleged an intentional killing.
The jury, however, rejected the state’s theory. “He was alleged to have committed an intentional act,” Beck said. “The jury did not agree with the state’s theory, and they came back and found that he was reckless.” The manslaughter verdict reflected that finding, treating the death as the result of reckless conduct rather than a deliberate act.
What an appeal bond means
The case highlighted the workings of an appeal bond, which allows a convicted defendant to remain free while a higher court reviews the case, typically under strict conditions. In Washington’s situation, the combination of house arrest, an alcohol ban and limited permitted activities represented the constraints a court may impose to balance a defendant’s release against public safety and the seriousness of the offense.
Such bonds are not automatic, and the decision to grant one can turn on factors including the strength of the appeal and the defendant’s ties to the community. Beck’s stated confidence in the appeal suggested the defense saw grounds to contest the conviction, though the outcome would rest with the appellate court.
For the family and friends of Kenneth Myers, the sentencing brought a measure of resolution even as the appeal left the case unsettled. A jury had held Washington responsible for a reckless killing, and a judge had imposed a sentence of more than 14 years. Yet with the appeal bond posted and house arrest in place, the question of whether that conviction would stand remained open as the matter moved to the next stage in the courts.