After almost 14 years behind bars, Jerome Kowalski, 75, jailed since 2008 in the murder of his brother and sister-in-law, might be getting out soon after being granted bond today as he awaits a new trial. Kowalski’s first trial led to the downfall of Livingston County District Court Judge Theresa Brennan.
Judge Matthew Stewart of the 35th Circuit Court in Shiawassee County granted Kowalski release on a $50,000 cash bond.
Kowalski had both confessed and denied murdering his brother, Richard Kowalski, 65, and his sister-in-law, Brenda Kowalski, 58, at their Oceola Township home on May 1, 2008; he was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in 2013. The conviction was vacated in January 2019 by the Michigan Supreme Court after it found that Judge Brennan had failed to disclose her relationship with Michigan State Police Sgt. Sean Furlong, the lead investigator in the case.
Since then, Kowalski has been held without bond in the Livingston County Jail as he awaits a new trial on the murder charges.
“I wish it had been a surety bond,” said Kowalski attorney Mark Gatesman. “His family is currently working to get him out.”
A surety bond is a three-party agreement that legally binds together a principal who needs the bond, an obligee who requires the bond, and a surety company that sells the bond. The bond guarantees the principal will act in accordance with certain laws. If the principal fails to perform in this manner, the bond will cover resulting damages or losses. A surety bond would have enabled Kowalski to get out of jail for a percentage of the total bond.
Even so, Gatesman said the $50,000 cash bond was “not unreasonable,” and that the next step is waiting for Kowalski’s new trial to be scheduled.