CLEVELAND -- A judge said Wednesday she set a $15 million bond, one of highest on record, for a man accused of killing two children to make it clear that society 'can't disregard' the serious nature of domestic violence.
Cleveland Municipal Court Judge Ellen Connally set the bond Tuesday for Darnell Parker, 26, of Cleveland, charged with two counts of aggravated murder and one count of attempted aggravated murder.
Parker, who was not in the courtroom for the bail hearing, was under police guard at a hospital recovering from a self-inflicted stab wound.
'This was such a heinous crime,' Connally said. 'I wanted to send a message to the community that domestic violence is so serious. We can't disregard it.'
The judge said she hoped the high bond would make people aware they must become involved to stop domestic violence, especially because this week is 'Domestic Violence Awareness Week' across the nation.
Connally said the amount of the bail was not directly connected to making sure Parker appeared for his court date.
'It is an extremely high bail,' said J.J. Perlstein of the Pretrial Services Resource Center in Washington D.C. 'It may be in the top five.'
The Guinness Book of World Records lists the highest bond ever as $46.5 million for Antonio De Angelis in a civil damages suit by the Harbor Tank Storage Co. It was filed in Superior Court in Jersey City, N.J., on Jan 16, 1964, in the Salid Oil Swindle.
Perlstein said a bail of $20 million was set for a Florida drug dealer two years ago and accused mass killer Alton Coleman's bond is $25 million.
Parker, who was committed to a Cleveland mental facility in July, was released and failed to attend follow-up sessions at a community help center.
Authorities alleged Parker killed Myrio Davis, 8, and Natalia Davis, 4, Friday in an attempt to 'rid the children of the devil.'
Kashonna Davis, 2, was in critical condition at Cleveland Metropolitan Hospital where she was recovering from stab wounds and burns.
'During the ordeal, his wife said he was talking about driving the devil out of their bodies,' said homicide Detective Gregory Kunz.
Kunz said Wednesday that the mother and grandmother had misidentified Natalia, who had been decapitated, as Kashonna. The two girls were almost identical in height and weight, and the identities were determined through dental records, he said.
Kashonna was burned from the waist up, he said. pickuplastgraf: The children'
The children's mother was forced to sit in scalding water during the ordeal, but escaped and called police. She was treated for emotional shock.
