Accused murderer David Carson Edwards failed for the second time Monday to convince a New London Superior Court judge to modify his bond so that he can get out of prison.

Edwards, 41, has been incarcerated since New London police charged him with murder three weeks after the April 2, 2018, shooting death of 27-year-old Joshua Fine. He is being held on a $1.5 million cash or surety bond.

During a court appearance Monday, defense attorney Joseph E. Lopez asked Judge Hillary B. Strackbein to convert the bond to a cash amount of $105,000, which he said is equal to the 7 percent that would be charged by a bondsman.

"That's a lot of cash," said Strackbein. "When someone is released throuh a bondsman, the bondsman keeps an eye on them. That's why we have them."

With a cash bond, Edwards' family, who are "of limited means," would be able to get their money back once the case is resolved, Lopez said. Having Edwards out of prison could help Lopez prepare the case for trial, he said.

"Are you going to tell me if the prosecutor picked up the phone and told the New London police to get him, they won't?" Lopez said.

Police said Edwards and Fine began fighting around a pool table at the American Legion in New London after Fine's girlfriend said something to Edwards that made Fine jealous. The two men fought inside the bar, and Edwards was armed with a gun when they met up about 45 minutes later near the intersection of Elm Steet and Garfield Avenue, according to police.

In his bond argument Monday, Lopez also cited a forensic test result that he said calls into question a witness' statement about the shooting. An American Legion patron identified only as Witness 7, or W7, in an arrest warrant affidavit, told police she stopped to urinate when near the side of a garage on Elm Street and hurried to get in her car when she heard voices approaching. She said Fine and Edwards were fighting and landed across the hood of her car, and that as she screamed for them to get off her car, she heard two gunshots.

Lopez said a sample of a substance taken from where the woman said she urinated tested negative for urine.

Prosecutor Paul J. Narducci said the circumstances of the case have not changed and the current bond amount of $1.5 million is fair.

The judge denied the bond request but said she would be open to looking at it again at Edwards' next court appearance. She had denied a similar bond request made by Edwards in September 2018.

The judge did grant Edwards' request to briefly embrace his two small children — a daughter, who was celebrating a birthday, and a son. 

A relative of the victim stormed out of the courtroom, saying, "People commit murder, and then they get to kiss kids?"

k.florin@theday.com