Judge: Alleged accomplice to Troy Bailey Sr. in double homicide will face trial
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Sandy Perez, 43, of 1647 Catherine St., will face charges of criminal conspiracy in kidnapping, receiving stolen property, obstruction of justice, tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, making false reports to law enforcement, and hindering apprehension or prosecution for her alleged role in helping Troy Bailey Jr. cover up the Jan. 11 murders of Alisha Seese and Ronald Dailey Jr., District Judge Aaron Biichle ruled Wednesday afternoon, following a preliminary hearing.
Bailey texted Perez just after midnight on Jan. 12 to say he was on his way to her apartment, Williamsport Bureau of Police Agent Laura Kitko testified.
"Sandy, I'm on my way to you so I will call. You when I get up there so I can give this to you," Bailey's text allegedly said.
The texting chain between Bailey and Seese was missing when authorities took custody of the phone, with Perez telling them that her texts automatically delete after a certain period of time, but was recovered by authorities.
However, texts with other individuals preceding that time frame were still on the phone, Kitko said.
Police also discovered a three minute conversation between Bailey and Perez shortly before 5:15 p.m. on Jan. 11.
Also uncovered was a Jan. 7 Facebook message in which Perez instructed Seese to keep Perez and Bailey's names "out of her mouth," Kitko said.
In the message, Perez told Seese to "stop talking (expletive) about Troy after all he did for you," and referred to Seese as a "little girl" jealous because he was with a "real woman now."
Surveillance video from the Michael Ross apartment complex shown during the proceedings showed Bailey arriving ten minutes later, and handing a rectangular bag to Perez.
Authorities contend that the smaller bag contained the murder weapon, which they say was stolen from a residence in which Bailey was staying in late December.
On Jan. 15, Bailey allegedly used another inmate's phone ID to call Perez, repeatedly instructing her to immediately dispose of the bag he had given her, according to a prison phone call played in court.
Bailey told Perez that he was incarcerated on a PFA violation and related that Seese and "some guy" had been murdered, but stated he didn't know anything about it.
Perez was defiant in the call telling Bailey that she had been contacted by authorities, but had denied knowing Seese.
"I told them to have a blessed day, hung up and blocked the numbers," she can be heard saying.
Shortly after the phone call, Perez was caught on the apartment complex's surveillance cameras taking a trash bag to the dumpster, before returning and taking it out.
Perez is then seen leaving the apartment complex in her vehicle, with a diaper bag and another bag, consistent with the one given to her by Bailey, Kitko said.
Perez gave several conflicting stories as to where she disposed of the bag, Kitko said
Perez did not confess to misleading investigators until two weeks later when she was re-interviewed by city police along with the FBI, insisting she told police the bag only contained dirty diapers, which police said was a lie, per the affidavit.
Perez denied having any prior contact with him, only being made aware of his presence when he knocked on her bedroom window, Kitko said.
She maintained this to be true despite being shown surveillance photos of her interactions with Bailey in the early morning hours of Jan. 12, though she later told police that she had briefly been with Bailey around 9 p.m. when they had prayed together.
Defense Attorney Jeremy-Evan Alva argued that there was no direct evidence that Perez was aware of any specific plans for the kidnappings or murders. He also stressed that even if Biichle believed that Perez was in possession of the handgun, there was no way she could be aware that it was stolen.
Further, Alva argued that even if Perez had known of any of Bailey's plans, she had no duty to do anything to prevent the crimes.
First Assistant District Attorney Martin Wade countered that the immense pressure Bailey was putting on her to get rid of the bag as well as the lengths she went to dispose of it in a remote location would've been indicative of it containing something highly illegal.
Bailey told Perez of his plans during the evening phone call, Wade said, citing the lack of questioning in the texts when Bailey told Perez he was going to give her "this."
Following Biichle's ruling on charges, Alva argued that Perez should be granted bail, citing a lack of extraordinary circumstances.
The commonwealth has not displayed Perez to be a threat to the community, he said.
Additionally, Alva stressed the need for Perez to be able to attend to her seven kids, three of which he said are special needs.
Continuing to hold Perez without bail was unconstitutional, Alva argued.
The courtroom quickly turned tense when Biichle ruled that the court of common pleas was better suited to take up the issue of bail, proceeding to deny any change in bail conditions.
"You can't do that," Alva protested, resulting in Biichle repeatedly telling him to sit down.
"It's unconstitutional," Alva countered.
"Sign the papers, and provide them to the court," Biichle shot back.
In a related development, it was announced Tuesday afternoon that prosecutors will be seeking the death penalty in the case against Bailey.
When asked for comment, District Attorney Tom Marino declined, stating that he did not want to influence any potential jury pool.
Calls to attorneys representing Bailey were not immediately returned.