The Colony Courier-Leader (The Colony, Tex.), Vol. 21, No. 9, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 11, 2002 Page: 10 of 31
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Page 10A — The Colony Courier-Leader — Thursday, April 11, 2002 — www.colonyleader.com
Murder suspect out on
ono
By LEAH SHAFER
Assistant News Editor
One week
after Denton
County bailiff
Thomas Lee
Collins of
Flower Mound
was released on
bond, charged
with second-
degree murder
of his 30-year-
old wife, a
Thomas Lee
Collins
grand jury has been impaneled
that will hear his case by
month’s end.
Collins’ bail bond was
reduced from $500,000, the
amount set by Flower Mound
officials, to $150,000. His attor-
neys, Jerry Cobb of Phillips &
Hopkins in Denton and Ricky
Perritt, filed for the bail reduc-
tion because they considered
the initial amount excessive.
The Denton County District
Attorney’s office agreed.
“The prosecution thought
that the $500,000 bond would be
challenged as per se unreason-
able,” said Lee Ann Breading,
first assistant district attorney.
District Judge Bruce
McFarling approved the
motion. Collins, 51, was
released at 12:05 a.m. on March
29.
The reduction has caused a
stir among family and friends of
Susan Grace Collins, the victim,
because of the violent way in
which she was killed, with a sin-
gle gunshot would to the head
the night of March, according to
Flower Mound police reports.
Police said Tom called his
Thomas Collins, accused of killing wife, has
bail reduced; victim’s friends upset at decision
employer, Denton County Judge of jail while awaiting trial.”
Joe Bridges, and asked to meet Police confirmed that as part
him at the Courthouse-on-the- of the conditions of bail, provid-
Square about 10 p.m. The two ed by Webb’s County Wide Bail
met and Tom told him about the’ Bonds, Collins, 51, cannot leave
incident. Bridges then called Texas or bear a firearm. Several
Flower Mound police, who were taken from his home by
arrived to find the body of Susan police, but they declined to spec-
in the Collins’ home in the 5300 ify how many or what kind.
block of Gregory Drive. Friends assert that Collins
“I did not know that the bail was not a violent man and Susan
had been reduced to $150,000 was not afraid of him.
and I am extremely upset over it. He had filed for divorce Jan.
Why would they reduce his bail? 25 in Denton County’s 16th
He murdered someone!” said a District Judicial Court, but it
family friend who wishes to was Susan who wanted the mar-
remain anonymous because she riage to end, said Lisa DiCicco, a
said she fears Collins. “I had friend of Susan’s.
“I doubt it - generally what
causes a change of venue
motion is how much press cov-
erage of a particular case is
made and if there is enough
press coverage detailing the
purported facts of the offense
that it has jeopardized the jury
pool,” Breading said. The last
case that moved was in 1991.
“Change of venue is due to
adverse publicity is generally
reserved for the most sensation-
alist and high-profile of trials —
for example, the San Francisco
dog-mauling murder was
moved to Los Angeles,” Kratovil
said. “It would be highly unusu-
al to transfer a run-of-the-mill
murder case, because it is about
the jury pool, and not the guy’s
familiarity with the courthouse.
The fact that this character used
to work in the courthouse isn’t
really hoped that his case wasn’t “It was at her request. He
going to be treated special worked for the court, so she
because he knows the people in made the request to him. He just
the court. I hope a change of had to bring the papers home,”
venue is made to prevent further she said.
skewing of the case when the There are also charges made
trial starts.” by friends that Collins received going to bias the jury against
Bail reduction is not unusual, special treatment because of his
even in murder charges, offi- work as a law enforcement offi-
him.”
That fact is of little comfort to
cials said. cial, first as a Lewisville EMT family and friends.
“It’s not uncommon to reduce and firefighter in the early “She was my best friend. She
a bond when the defendant isn’t 1970s, then as a peace officer in
considered a flight risk. The Highland Village. He was fired
court takes measures to ensure from that job in 1997 or 1998,
that a defendant doesn’t flee, said a Highland Village official being killed. Her brother and
confiscating his passport and who did not wish to be named. myself dropped her off that
forbidding him to leave the He worked as a bailiff in Sunday and I was planning to go
state," said Christopher Denton County Criminal Court (to Flower Mound) this week-
Kratovil, an attorney at Hughes No. 4. from August 1998 to' end.”
& Luce in Dallas. “In our sys- March 12, the day he is alleged
tem, defendants are considered to have killed Susan.
was an awesome person,”
DiCicco said. “She was just
home the weekend prior to her
DiCicco said Susan showed
innocent until proven guilty, and
bond allows them to remain out
no fear about going home, and e-
Friends question whether the mailed her the next day and said
case merits a change of venue.
she was going to be going back
to Massachusetts in two weeks.
Susan is from Reading, Mass,
and moved to Texas for college
and met Tom shortly thereafter,
when he brought his dog into
the Justin Road Veterinary
Clinic where she worked, said
family friend Karen Peters.
They were married in
November 2000.
“She was a big advocate for
animals and a very easygoing
person,” Peters said. “We had a
funeral and wake here. It’s just
awful. She wasn’t a mad type of
person, the type who would pro-
voke something.”
DiCicco said she is scared of
Tom, and still is shocked by the
murder.
“I’m scared myself. All of us
are, especially her girlfriends,”
she said. “We have known each
other for over 15 years. We don’t
know what he’s capable of.”
Collins’ arraignment date has
not been set because the investi-
gation is still ongoing.
“We’re waiting on lab results -
those are outside of our con-
trol,” said Flower Mound Capt.
Richard Brooks, noting that
because the Flower Mound
Police Department has only 10
days to file a report with the
D.A.’s office, it often means wait-
ing on certain results to come
back.
“Sometimes we file them
when they're not complete,”
Brooks said. “As soon as they’re
completed, then the investiga-
tion will be complete.”
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Diaz-Holguin, Raymond. The Colony Courier-Leader (The Colony, Tex.), Vol. 21, No. 9, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 11, 2002, newspaper, April 11, 2002; The Colony, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1621716/m1/10/?q=Lamar+University: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting The Colony Public Library.