June 29 – SOUTHERN INDIANA – A Southern Indiana man facing an attempted murder charge is on bail.
Jordan Cunningham, 22, is accused of shooting his wife in the chest in Sellersburg in February.
Court records show a total of $350,000 was paid Tuesday in Clark and Floyd counties to cover cash-only bonds placed on Cunningham. Cunningham faces charges in both counties related to the shooting.
His bail in Clark County was set at $250,000. He requested that it be reduced to $25,000 at a March 1 hearing, but Clark Circuit Court No. 1 Judge Nick Karaffa denied that request days later.
In Clark County, Cunningham is charged with crimes including attempted murder, criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon and aggravated assault.
According to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, law enforcement was called to the Autumn Ridge subdivision in Sellersburg on Feb. 20 to a reported shooting.
Cunningham and his wife do not reside in this subdivision and the victim was visiting a relative, according to the CCSO.
The victim was taken to a local hospital with a single gunshot wound to the chest and survived the injuries.
Cunningham’s charges in Floyd County, for aggravated battery and household battery resulting in grievous bodily harm, relate to what inquests indicated before the shooting.
The probable cause affidavit in the Floyd County case said Cunningham’s wife told police he attacked her at their home in Georgetown on February 20 before shooting her the same day at the home of a family member in Sellersburg.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Cunningham had been sending the victim threatening text messages all day before the shooting and he physically assaulted her inside their home in Floyd County as she attempted to leave.
After the shooting, a doctor at the University of Louisville Hospital told the victim that he had several broken ribs and that those injuries were unrelated to gunshot wounds later that day. Home battery charging is linked to rib injuries.
During Cunningham’s bail hearing in Floyd County, Floyd County District Attorney Chris Lane and CCSO Detective Bradley Kramer argued for a high bond in the case and said they believe that he constituted a flight risk and a danger to the victim and the community.
During that hearing, Cunningham’s attorney, Bart Betteau, argued for a lower bond for his client, citing Cunningham’s lack of criminal history as well as his close relationship with his family.
Cunningham’s grandfather James Wagner testified as a witness for his defense at the hearing and said his grandson had made a mistake and ‘he would never have thought of running away “.
Floyd County Judge Richard Striegel set Cunningham’s bail at $100,000 cash only, in Floyd’s Superior Court No. 3 hearing.
Court records indicate a jury trial for Cunningham’s charges in Clark County is scheduled for August 22.