Passenger in alleged West Asheville crosswalk murder out of jail; bond was set at $500,000
ASHEVILLE - A car passenger accused of murdering a pedestrian who tapped on the vehicle hood is out of jail on bond.
Tyler Coenraads, 24, of Marathon Lane was jailed April 8 in the Buncombe County Detention Facility on a charge of the second-degree murder of Gregory William Martin, 73, of Candler Knob Road. Both men's addresses are west of Asheville.
A magistrate initially declined to set a bond for Coenraads after his arrest. But at a Buncombe County District Court hearing the same day, a bond was set at $500,000, allowing his release until his charges are adjudicated. Bonds typically require payment of 10% − in this case, $50,000.
A man who answered a call to Coenraads' number April 9 and affirmed he was Coenraads hung up when asked for comment. His attorney Al Messer did not respond to messages April 8 and 9. Coenraads has court dates scheduled for two felony charges, April 24 for assault causing serious bodily injury and April 29 for second-degree murder.
Martin was using a crosswalk Feb. 29 at the intersection of Haywood Road and Interstate 240 when he tapped on the hood of a stopped vehicle, police said. The passenger of the vehicle, later identified by APD as Coenraads, emerged from the vehicle, pushed the pedestrian to the ground and then got back in the vehicle, which fled the scene, police said.
Martin suffered severe head trauma and was transported to Mission Hospital, where he died March 12.
A video supplied by police shows a white SUV stopped in a crosswalk with its right blinker on. A man in a dark hoodie is crossing on Haywood and walks around the car, which is blocking the crosswalk. He taps hard on the hood with his left hand. With his back turned to the car, he gestures with both arms in the air. He then turns back to the car and walks toward the driver's window and the car rolls forward.
The vehicle then stops abruptly and a bearded man in a baseball hat exits quickly and runs around the front of the car. The man on foot had started to walk away and the bearded man shoves him hard in the back, the video shows. According to his jail booking information, Coenraads is 6 feet, 2 inches tall and weighs 270 pounds.
Coenraads was initially charged with assault, but the murder charge was added after "completion of the APD's investigation and of the State Medical Examiner's Office findings, along with consultation of Buncombe County District Attorney's Office," said police spokesperson Samantha Booth.
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Joel Burgess has lived in WNC for more than 20 years, covering politics, government and other news. He's written award-winning stories on topics ranging from gerrymandering to police use of force. Got a tip? Contact Burgess at jburgess@citizentimes.com, 828-713-1095 or on Twitter @AVLreporter. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Passenger in alleged West Asheville crosswalk murder out of jail
