Clearwater, FL: Mistakes in court could have led to woman's murder

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Craig Wall Sr.

State Attorney's Office admits it could have been more aggressive in trying to keep a man in jail who is a suspect in his girlfriend's murder.

Clearwater, Florida -- When Laura Taft's son was murdered two weeks ago, she filed a protective order against her boyfriend, Craig Wall, because he was a suspect in the killing.

When Wall violated that order, he was arrested, released on bond and now Taft is dead. Police say the boyfriend is responsible.

On Thursday night, the very judge who set the bond for Wall on Monday told 10 Connects it has been a difficult couple of days. When asked how he is feeling, Judge George Jirotka answered, "Pretty bad. It's an unfortunate situation."

The Pinellas State Attorney's Office admits it could have handled the situation more aggressively in trying to keep the man, Craig Wall, in jail. Chief Assistant State Attorney Bruce Bartlett said his office failed to inform the judge of Wall's former conviction (convicted for armed robbery, he served 14 years in jail).

"That's our fault," said Barlett.

The agency says it is law enforcement's worst nightmare.

Former Assistant State Attorney and current criminal defense lawyer, Fred Zinober, said the system did not fail, instead calling it 'human error.'

"You have to realize this is a short period of time. This is 24 hours for 40 to 60 people to be brought before a judge. That is a lot of information for a young prosecutor to digest," Zinober said.

Keep in mind, when Wall was booked for violating the protective injunction, he complained and those complaints carried over into court. When Judge George Jirotka told Wall he was before him for violation of domestic violence, Wall said, "It sounds bad."

The victim, Laura Taft, thought it was bad as well. The Assistant State Attorney handling the case told the judge he had talked to the victim and said she was in fear and doesn't want any contact.

Despite Taft's fear, the state offered Wall a plea deal that he turned down.

That's when Judge George Jirotka ignored the state's recommendation for $2,500 bond and Wall's request to be released on his own recognizance. Instead, Jirotka ordered a $1,000 bond and no contact with the victim.

The plea deal the state offered and that Wall turned down and the $1,000 bond that the judge set came despite there being an arrest affidavit which said the petitioner (Taft) got the injunction due to a pending investigation with the Clearwater Police Department in which Wall was suspected of being responsible for the infant's death.

Wall told the court he didn't do anything wrong. He said his son died and that Taft was mad at him, calling the whole situation "crazy."

Some are saying it is also crazy to set a thousand dollar bond for a man suspected of one murder, so he could now be a suspect in two.

Mike Deeson and Erica Pitzi, 10 Connects