JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Nov. 13 (UPI) -- A Florida woman awarded a new trial after receiving a long prison term for firing a warning shot asked to be freed on bail, but the judge didn't rule Wednesday.
Marissa Alexander's attorney told Judge James Daniel during the hearing in a Jacksonville courtroom she isn't a flight risk because of her ties to the community and intends no harm toward her husband, Rico Gray, who she is divorcing, MSNBC reported.
Prosecutors argued against granting the 32-year-old Alexander bail, saying nothing has changed since her first trial when she was denied bond because of her acrimonious relationship with Gray.
WTLV-TV, Jacksonville, reported Daniel said he would make a decision on bond at a later, unspecified time. Alexander's next court date isn't until Jan. 15 and her trial is set for March 31.
Alexander has been held at Lowell Correctional Facility since being sentenced last May to 20 years in prison for firing a warning shot during a domestic dispute.
Her conviction became controversial because she was found guilty despite invoking Florida's Stand Your Ground law, while George Zimmerman, who killed an unarmed black teenager, was acquitted. Alexander, who is black, received the long prison term for aggravated assault even though she did not fire at her husband and testified he had physically assaulted her and was threatening to kill her.
