DA's Statement on Edion White, Charged with First Degree Murder

We’ve received many inquiries about the case of Edion White, an 18 year old man charged with first-degree murder and released on his own recognizance (ROR’d) this past week. Our office asked for a $75,000 bond and enrollment in the Memphis Allies program pending trial. The judge disagreed and ordered an ROR. Mr. White was not the alleged shooter but rather the driver charged as an accomplice. He had no prior record, was enrolled in community college, and had members of the community vouch for him. We disagree with the judge’s decision but respect it.

There is much misinformation about bail lately:

• The DA does not set bail or decide on pretrial release versus pretrial detention. The judges and judicial commissioners do that.  

• Most of the high-profile bail controversies in recent months involve decisions made by judicial commissioners or General Sessions judges themselves in the first 72 hours after arrest. This is before our office becomes involved, and once our office has become involved, those controversial decisions are nearly always against the individual prosecutor’s position.

• It is also before the provisions under recent “bail reform” gets involved. The only change to the bail system is adding a bail hearing with counsel 72 hours after arrest. Thus, these recent controversies had nothing to do with our office or the new bail system.  

• The only purpose of bail is to ensure that the defendant shows up for the next court date. The Tennessee Constitution presumes the defendant be free while the case is pending (before any conviction), unless there is reason to believe the defendant poses a danger to the community or may fail to appear at the next court date. 

• Most defendants on bail do not reoffend before trial. And of those that do reoffend, those make up only a small percentage of criminal offenses in a given year.