WKRN, Nashville, Tennessee News, Weather, and Sports |Suspected murderer freed on the wrong bond now federal fugitive

Suspected murderer freed on the wrong bond now federal fugitive

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - An accused murderer who first made bond because of a typo is now considered a federal fugitive after making bond a second time.

Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents took out a warrant Monday after learning 30-year-old Carlos Branch made bond Sunday on drug and weapons charges.

Those charges stem from an arrest Friday where marijuana and a loaded assault type rifle was found in his Nashville residence following a search by Metro police.

Branch was arrested because it's a federal violation for convicted felons, like him, to possess a weapon.

Branch previously served part of a six-year sentence for aggravated assault following his role in a 2005 dormitory shooting at Vanderbilt University.

Three people were injured in the shooting and police said Branch should never have been freed in the first place.

He was arrested in February 2009 by the Metro Cold Case unit for the 2005 Nashville murder of Jonathan Roberts.

A Metro judge later set a $1 million bond for Branch, but it was eventually reduced in October to $150,000.

It was entered, however, as a $50,000 bond and the erroneous, lower bond allowed Branch to walk out of jail.

"Had the bond reflected the accurate $150,000 figure he would have had to come to criminal court to prove where the money is coming from for him to post the bond," Metro police spokesperson Don Aaron explained.  "Instead, he was able to post the bond and go right out of jail without the district attorney or the police department really knowing about it."

Aaron said Metro investigators and federal agents are now looking for Branch, but don't know where he is.

He is scheduled to be at a bond increase hearing on Monday.