Victim's family stunned that Charlotte murder suspect is free on bond

CHARLOTTE, NC — Tashala Campbell waited for more than two years for Charlotte-Mecklenburg police to find the person who shot and killed her 16-year-old daughter Ta'Nya LaShay Williams.

"It hurt real bad," she said.

But her wait came to an end last week when detectives charged 20-year-old Arshaun Springs with murder in the case.

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But Campbell says she was stunned to learn he walked free on bail less than two days after he turned himself in.

"It was like that joy was just snatched away. Not joy, but relief, was just snatched away," Campbell explained.

When Springs made his first court appearance last Tuesday, court records show Judge Fritz Mercer set a $100,000 bond and 12 hours later Springs was out of jail.

"Even though it is a murder case, the law allows for a judge to set a bond in a homicide case," defense attorney and former prosecutor Rob Corbett explained.

Corbett said it's unusual, but not unheard of, for a judge to set bond at a first appearance in a murder case like this one.

"He’s not the first person to get a bond in a homicide case, and he won’t be the last," Corbett said.

While Springs is out of jail, he's not entirely free. Judge Mercer ordered him to be on house arrest with 24-hour electronic monitoring.

But Campbell says that's not enough. Her daughter is gone and the man accused of killing her is free - at least for now.

"It just doesn’t seem enough.  I don’t think anything will ever be enough, but it just doesn’t seem enough," said Campbell.

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