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Judge sets $2.2 million bond in Janesville double homicide

A judge set a $2.2 million bond Thursday for the Badger football player charged with killing two women last February in Janesville.

Marcus Randle El, 34, appeared for his initial court hearing in the killings from the Rock County jail.

The Illinois resident and former UW-Madison wide receiver is charged with first-degree intentional homicide in the deaths of Brittany McAdory, 27, and Seairaha Winchester, 30. They were found shot on Janesville's northeast side on Feb. 10.

Randle El also is charged with aggravated battery and loan sharking in an earlier, separate case.

The judge ordered a $2 million bond for the two homicide charges and an additional $125,000 for related charges.

He also ordered $75,000 for the separate case.

A prosecutor argued for a bond in excess of $5 million, detailing Randle El's long criminal history, including misdemeanor crimes when he was a Badger in 2005 and 2006, and escalating to felony convictions.

Authorities say Randle El was dealing drugs in Janesville and had threatened Winchester's life over the $300 he was missing. The prosecutor said the February homicides were carried out execution-style.

Authorities revealed Thursday blood found in a tow truck taking Randle El and the jeep of one of the victims to an Illinois gas station matched blood at the crime scene.

Family members of McAdory and Winchester spoke during the hearing and emotionally urged the judge to impose a high bond.

"Now my daughter's four girls and Brittany's two children must grow up without their mothers," said Winchester's mother, Justine Watson. "That is six children that are motherless because of him, because of that monster."

Watson said she feared even a high bail could be posted by Randle El as a result of the resources of his brother, former Pittsburgh Steelers star and current NFL assistant coach Antwaan Randle El.

Marcus Randle El's attorney, Michael Hart called the proposed $5 million bail "unreasonable," and an attempt to skirt a prosecutor's obligation to meet a higher threshold under a different statute to convince a court to set no bail, and asked for and $85,000 bond.

Authorities say the separate case against Randle El that contributed to his bail amount involved his alleged baseball bat attack against another Janesville woman over a debt four months before the homicides.  

Janesville Police Lieutenant Charles Aagard says the victim only knew Randle El by a nickname, and others with connections to the attack did not give police his name. Aagard says Randle El was only identified as the attack's suspect when the victim saw his photo in a television news report on the homicides.

She also spoke to the court on the issue of bail. "I guess I'm just the lucky one, and $5 million is still too small of a bail amount for two people losing their lives and plus what I've gone through," according to the victim, who was only identified by initials.

More at WKOW 27 News


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