The year 2020 drew to a close with no word from the court on felony-murder defendant William Marcus “Marc” Wilson’s second chance at being released on bond.

Wilson, 22, is charged with causing the June 14 death of Haley Hutcheson, 17, and also faces five aggravated assault charges and one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Hutcheson was riding in a pickup truck on Veterans Memorial Parkway in Statesboro with four other young people when she was hit by a bullet Wilson allegedly fired from his car. His defense attorneys have asserted in preliminary and bond hearings that he was defending himself and his girlfriend from a racist attack by occupants of the truck.

Judge Michael T. Muldrew, who had denied bond for Wilson at the conclusion of an Aug. 18 hearing, conducted a bond reconsideration hearing Dec. 15 along with Wilson’s arraignment on the charges in Bulloch County Superior Court.

Muldrew said then that he hoped to compare testimony from the two hearings and make a decision in a few days on whether to release Wilson while he awaits trial.

Contacted Wednesday, Dec. 30, Wilson’s lead attorney, Francys Johnson, indicated there was still no news from the court. As of noon Dec. 31, no new filings had appeared in relation to this case on Georgia’s court records database, Peachcourt.com.

Wilson’s family and attorneys did not get their wish, voiced by Johnson near the conclusion of the Dec. 15 hearing, that the court “release this young man so that he can go home for Christmas.”

The defense attorneys and their witnesses had suggested conditions such as house arrest and an ankle monitor. But Daphne Totten, then Ogeechee Judicial Circuit district attorney-elect and now sworn in as the district attorney, argued that Wilson posed a flight risk and said the prosecution had concerns “about persons and property in the community.”

During the arraignment, Johnson entered Wilson’s not-guilty pleas to all counts and formally noted that he is seeking a jury trial.

The earliest date for a trial or further proceedings would now be March 1, according to the court calendar. Wilson has been in jail since turning himself in June 17.