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High court denies bond appeal

By Jennifer Harr 2 min read

The state Supreme Court will not hear an appeal of the $100,000 bond a Fayette County judge granted to a Normalville man charged in the shooting death of his estranged wife’s lover. In an order handed down Thursday, the court declined to hear Fayette County District Attorney Nancy D. Vernon’s appeal of the bond for Raymond “Mike” Prinkey.

Prinkey is charged with killing James Cononico in the early morning hours of Oct. 19, 2005. Cononico was living with Prinkey’s wife, Lori, in Connellsville at the time.

Judge Steve P. Leskinen set bond after handing down a ruling earlier this year that indicated it was unlikely that Prinkey would be convicted of first-degree murder. Under the state and federal constitutions, no one charged with a crime that could result in a sentence of life in prison is allowed to remain free on bond.

Leskinen’s opinion indicated he believed that Prinkey would be convicted of voluntary manslaughter, a killing done in the heat of passion, based on the facts of the case. The judge’s opinion indicated that when Prinkey came to his wife’s apartment, he was “suddenly confronted with the fact that after nearly two decades of marriage, his wife left him and their children for a tawdry extramarital affair.”

Testimony at Prinkey’s preliminary hearing indicated that Lori Prinkey met Cononico, an ex-convict, through her job in the state prison system.

Lori Prinkey also testified that Cononico, released in August 2005, lived out of the area for some time before moving back to Fayette County.

Vernon appealed Leskinen’s decision to the state Superior Court in February, and it was denied later that month. Her appeal to the state Supreme Court hearing the case was filed in March.

Prinkey since has made bond and remains free while waiting for his trial. A suppression hearing in the case is scheduled for later this month.

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