Judge Refuses to Lower Peyer’s $1-Million Bail
San Diego Superior Court Judge Richard Huffman has refused to lower the $1-million bail for Craig Peyer, a California Highway Patrol officer charged with the strangulation-murder of San Diego State University student Cara Evelyn Knott, 20.
But in making his decision Tuesday, Huffman criticized the judge who presided at a January bail review hearing for Peyer for announcing in court that he “presumed” that Peyer was guilty.
Huffman dismissed a defense contention that Municipal Judge Herbert J. Exarhos abused his discretion when he doubled Peyer’s bail to $1 million on Jan. 27, saying the judge had followed the law, which allows a judge wide discretion in bail proceedings.
Knott’s fully clothed body was found on Dec. 28 in a creek bed beneath a bridge near an isolated Interstate 15 off-ramp.
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