Saturday, October 1, 2011

Lewiston, ID: Idaho judge sets bail for man in ex-wife's death

LEWISTON, Idaho (AP) — A judge has set bail at $1 million for a former sheriff's deputy accused of strangling his ex-wife.

The Lewiston Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/onPIHH ) 37-year-old Joseph Thomas Jr. is charged with first-degree murder in the death of 28-year-old Beth Irby-Thomas, who was found May 1 in her Lewiston home with a belt cinched around her neck.

Judge Michael J. Griffin rejected a motion Friday seeking for Thomas to be released on his own recognizance and allowed to stay with family.

Prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty against Thomas, who previously worked for the Nez Perce Sheriff's Office but had left his job and was living in Washington state before his ex-wife's death. Police say the couple's two young sons were in the house when her body was found.

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