By Barry Porterfield
A Paoli man charged with first-degree murder in connection with the March 9 death of his infant son remains in jail with bond denied. A hearing will later be conducted to argue the bond issue.
Johnny Ray Speerbrecher, 28, is accused of causing the blunt force head trauma that authorities say caused the death of 2-month-old Brody Speerbrecher on March 9.
Speerbrecher was initially denied bond during his first court appearance on the charges Tuesday afternoon in Garvin County District Court. A state prosecutor filed a motion Wednesday requesting a bail or detention hearing. The hearing, which has not been scheduled, is to argue the merits of whether the no-bond ruling will remain in place throughout the prosecution phase of the case.
Called a Brill motion, it means Garvin County Assistant District Attorney George Burnett wants a hearing so he can argue why Speerbrecher should remain in jail with no option to post any bond for release.
A Brill hearing is meant to determine the amount of a defendant’s bail, any conditions of a bail or the “appropriateness” of detaining the individual charged until trial without a bond amount set by a judge.
The case against Speerbrecher developed after his baby son was found unresponsive at their Paoli home on the morning of March 9.
After efforts by the baby’s mother to resuscitate the boy were unsuccessful, he was taken by ambulance to Pauls Valley General Hospital, where he was officially pronounced dead a short time later.
In addition to the felony murder charge, Speerbrecher was charged with two drug offenses. Court documents state that several grams of marijuana and various types of drug paraphernalia were found in Speerbrecher’s home on the day of the infant’s death. His home is near Paoli’s school complex.
