CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Editor's note: links to previous coverage of this story contain graphic descriptions of the alleged crime. Reader discretion is advised.
One of the suspects accused in the brutal killing of a Charlotte woman in 2020 was granted a six-figure bond on the murder charge he faces.
21-year-old James "Jimmy" Salerno appeared before a judge on Thursday, Jan. 13, for a bond hearing. In the end, he was granted a $250,000 secured bond. He still remains in jail.
A $5,000 bond for a concealing death charge and $80,000 bond for a kidnapping charge were unchanged.
Salerno is one of four people who were charged with killing 20-year-old Mary Collins at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the NoDa neighborhood. Salerno and the other suspects are accused of luring Collins to an apartment under the guise of spending time with friends.
However, her body was found a week later, and investigators said she was tortured and stabbed more than 133 times. Kelly Lavery, Lavi Pham, and Salerno were suspected of attacking Collins, while America Diehl was accused of helping clean up after the fact.
Lavery ended up pleading guilty to her role in the killing and was sentenced to a maximum of 32 years in prison. Salerno and Pham have both pleaded not guilty.
The idea of Salerno being granted bond alarmed Mia Alderman, grandmother to Mary Collins. She told WCNC Charlotte she didn't want him to have bond.
"James Salerno and three other people brutally murdered my granddaughter who had an intellectual disability," she said. "They tricked her, they stabbed her 133 times, they bludgeoned her in her head. We always hear something, like one more thing."
Alderman said to her knowledge, judges do not have to give bonds under North Carolina law for suspects charged with 1st-degree murder. She continued to share her shock.
"He gets out on bond, he's free to go around the city of Charlotte," she said. "I think that this should shake the city of Charlotte, I really do."
Alderman said even Salerno's own attorney said Collins' killing was the worst crime Charlotte has ever seen. She also said this meant there may not be accountability for Salerno or others charged with homicide.
"There's no justice for victims. Once you're dead, they have to deal with the people that are alive, and that's the murderers," she said.
Alderman said the judge did not offer a reason for bond, and that the District Attorney's Office did not offer a rebuttal. She also said the DA's office told her to talk to homicide detectives if she felt there was more to say. Alderman also claimed Salerno's parents were eager to bond him out, and claimed there was "no sense of compassion" from him or from the other suspects' families.
"[Salerno's family was] jovial, leaving the courtroom, actually laughing, in front of my family," she told WCNC Charlotte.
Alderman wasn't alone in sharing her shock. Charlotte's Fraternal Order of Police lodge shared a post on Facebook decrying the decision. The lodge also said this was the second time within a week that a person accused of murder had their bond reduced.
Note: WCNC instituted a new policy in March 2021 regarding the broadcast or posting of mugshots.
WCNC will only air or post a mugshot if the person has been formally charged with a crime and in a few other cases. The exceptions include: If it appears the person could be a danger to themselves or others or if they are wanted by authorities; to differentiate between people with a common name; if the photos could encourage more victims to come forward. The news-editorial leadership may also decide to use a mugshot based on the severity of the crime(s) committed and/or the level of public interest in the crime and ensuing criminal proceedings.
WCNC Charlotte is choosing to show Salerno's mugshot because of the ongoing public interest in the case.