Logan Hunts Horse, who is accused of murdering Todd Scherer inside a barn at Fonner Park in Grand Island, was granted a bond of $5 million by Hall County Court Judge Alfred Corey.
Additionally, Corey set a $500,000 bond for Austin Kelly, a 16-year-old alleged to have been involved in robbing the victim and assisting in the crime.
Todd Scherer (left) holds Beentospain in the winner's circle at Indiana Grand in 2016. Scherer, a longtime assistant trainer and groom on the horse racing circuit, was shot and killed on Thursday at Fonner Park.
The body of Scherer, a 62-year-old man from Lincoln, was discovered on Thursday morning in one of the tack rooms at Fonner Park's Barn R. According to the probable cause affidavit written by Grand Island police investigator Bryce Collamore, Scherer had a suspected bullet wound to his stomach and a large laceration to the back of his head.
A jockey told investigators that Hunts Horse had confessed to shooting a man named Todd earlier in the morning. Hunts Horse and his girlfriend were apprehended by police in his tack room in the same barn, while Austin Kelly was detained during a traffic stop on Thursday.
Investigators suspect that Todd Scherer had made advances towards Hunts Horse and Kelly, which made them uneasy. They believe that Hunts Horse shot Scherer and then returned later to strike him with a baseball bat when he was still alive.
Logan Hunts Horse seen in his Hall County Corrections attire.
According to the affidavit, the men divided the victim's wallet's contents equally among themselves. The police found two 9mm rounds in Hunts Horse's jacket pockets, and he directed them to where the gun and baseball bat were discovered. Hunts Horse was charged with first-degree murder, robbery, and three counts of using a deadly weapon to commit a crime during Friday's arraignment.
Kelly was charged with robbery and two counts of accessory to a felony, while Hunts Horse's girlfriend was not charged. Judge Corey scheduled a preliminary hearing for both defendants for 1:30 p.m. on April 4.
Hunts Horse is represented by public defender Gerard Piccolo, and Kelly is represented by Jennifer Kearney. The prosecutor in both cases is Sarah Hinrichs. Hunts Horse's residence is in Wounded Knee, South Dakota, while Kelly resides in Grand Island.
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