Accused killer's bail lowered to $75,000

CANTON — A St. Lawrence County Court judge lowered bail for an Ogdensburg man accused of killing Bernard A. Trickey Jr. in 2005.

Wayne T. Oxley Jr., 44, will remain in St. Lawrence County jail on $75,000 bail or $150,000 bond, Judge Jerome J. Richards decided Thursday. Oxley had been held on $100,000 bail or $200,000 bond.

Defense attorney Richard V. Manning had asked for Oxley to be released from jail under probation supervision or to have bail set at no more than $15,000. Prosecutors argued bail should not be lowered because Oxley is a flight risk.

“Given the seriousness of the pending charged crime, defendant is not appropriate for consideration for release on his own recognizance or under probation supervision,” Judge Richards wrote in a two-page decision.

Oxley was convicted in December 2006 of killing Mr. Trickey with a baseball bat. He was sentenced to serve 25 years to life in state prison before the conviction on second-degree murder charges was overturned.