11162011 - VIDEO - Bond Denied For Man Charged In Murder Of Amanda Bach

Bond Denied For Man Charged In Murder Of Amanda Bach 
CBS News – Chicago IL
November 16, 2011 - 6:33 PM
chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/11/16/bond-denied-for-man-charged-in-murder-of-amanda-bach/"/bond-denied-for-man-charged-in-murder-of-amanda-bach

[IN] Bond Denied For Man Charged In Murder Of Amanda Bach- Nov 16, 2011

VALPARAISO, Ind. (CBS) – Bond was denied on Wednesday for Dustin McCowan, the man charged with killing 19-year-old Amanda Bach in September.

As CBS 2’s Roseanne Tellez reports, McCowan, 18, has been charged with first-degree murder and has been held without bond since he was charged on Sept. 19, two days after Bach’s death.

His attorney, Bob Harper, had sought to have the judge in the case set bond for McCowan, claiming prosecutors "jumped the gun" by charging him without any physical evidence linking McCowan to the murder.
McCowan’s parents didn’t want to talk on camera after Wednesday’s hearing, but said detectives "should be ashamed of themselves."
Judge William Alexa denied bond, however, and after Wednesday’s hearing, Bach’s family gave a brief statement saying McCowan is exactly where he deserves to be.

"Today justice was set forth for Amanda through the bond hearing. Our daughter Amanda can never seek justice for herself, so it’s our duty to seek justice for Amanda. I’m confident that justice will soon be served," her father, William Bach, said.

The courtroom was packed during the hearing and the sight of McCowan arriving in his orange jumpsuit had many of his relatives in tears.

During the hearing, prosecutors provided the first public look at the evidence in the case and the three things that place McCowan in the area where Bach’s body and car were found.

Investigators used GPS technology to track McCowan’s cell phone to the area near where Bach’s body was found between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. on Sept. 17. Authorities believe she was killed between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. on Sept. 17.

Detectives also said that blood hounds traced McCowan’s scent from his house to where her body was found, about 300 feet away from the McCowan home in Union Township.

Also, prosecutors said that an eyewitness claimed he saw McCowan walking in the same area around the time of the murder on the main road between the store where Bach’s car was found abandoned and McCowan’s home.

The witness claimed he’s 100 percent certain McCowan is the young man he saw in the area at 2:30 a.m. on the morning of Bach’s death.

All the while, the lead detective said McCowan was texting friends that he was at home.

Detectives also found it odd that McCowan told them he was the last to see Bach alive and, within hours of her disappearance, told friends she was probably dead.
McCowan’s father, a police officer, reportedly has told police that he is missing a gun. Prosecutors said the bullet that killed Amanda is the same type of bullet that was in the mising gun.
McCowan’s trial has been set for the week of Jan. 30, but that could change.