Murder suspect's bond upsets victim's family

Rashawn Arrington, 23, was arrested in Virginia Sept. 22 on a first-degree murder charge in the death of Jesse Montague Jr., 27, who crashed his car into a gas pump after someone shot him while he was driving.

The crash sparked an explosion and a 10-foot fireball and caused an estimated $30,000 in damages.

Arrington was in jail without bond for nearly three months before a judge on Tuesday set a bond at $300,000 after the district attorney decided not to pursue a capital case.

“He really killed my son in cold blood,” Montague’s father, Jesse Montague Sr., said. “He should be kept locked up until justice is served.”

By state statute, however, the judge had to set a bond, Arrington's defense attorney, Boyd Sturges, said.

The law requires anyone charged with first-degree murder be given a chance to get out of jail on bond if the state is not seeking the death penalty, Sturges said.

Two other people also face lesser charges in the case.

Arrington’s sister, Jessica Arrington, 22, and Jason Lamont Ruffin, 25, were both charged with accessory after the fact of a felony.

Investigators have said that Rashawn Arrington and Jesse Montague Jr. knew each other but have not offered a motive for the shooting.