Man held for 500-plus days on murder charge is released

TIPTON, Ind. -- A man jailed for more than a year on a murder charge was released after the Indiana Supreme Court ruled he had been held longer than state law permits.\nMichael Shane Bramley, 28, was released from the Tipton County Jail on his own recognizance Monday, three days after the high court ordered his release.\nIn its 5-0 decision, the court ruled Bramley had been held without trial longer than allowed by state law. That decision overturned a July ruling by a Tipton Circuit judge who rejected Bramley's request for release.\nBramley appealed that ruling, citing a rule that no defendant may be held without trial on a charge for an aggregate period of longer than six months unless the delay is caused by the defendant's motions or congestion on the court calendar.\nBramley had been jailed 526 days since his arrest Feb. 5, 2004. Delays by the prosecution accounted for at least 193 days of Bramley's jail time, the high court said.\nTipton County prosecutors did not respond to Bramley's appeal.\n"I researched it and the (state) attorney general researched it, and we both knew filing any responsive brief would be a waste of time," said Prosecutor Jay Rich. "The law's fairly clear."\nKokomo attorney Brent Dechert, who is representing Bramley, said Wednesday that Bramley was at home in Westfield, Ind. His murder trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 3 in Tipton Circuit Court.\nProsecutors said Bramley and two other men plotted to rob and kill Morris Moody, 35, who died in December 2003 after suffering a gunshot wound to the head.\nBramley and the two other men were charged with murder and conspiracy to commit robbery.