Prosecutors had opposed a bond reduction for Italo Wade months before he was accused in a fatal shooting after a traffic crash.
ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Two pretrial decisions in a St. Louis County criminal case are receiving renewed attention after the defendant, Italo Wade, was later charged with first-degree murder in a separate fatal shooting in St. Louis.
Wade, 23, was already facing felony child endangerment and harassment charges stemming from allegations involving his former partner and their child. Court records reviewed by FOX 2 showed that Circuit Judge Jeffrey McPherson reduced Wade’s bond over prosecutors’ objections in August 2025. McPherson later approved the removal of Wade’s GPS monitoring in March 2026. About five months later, Wade was arrested after a deadly shooting that police said followed a vehicle collision in north St. Louis.
The sequence has placed new attention on how Wade’s earlier case was handled, but the later homicide allegation does not establish that the judge’s decisions caused the shooting or that the subsequent crime could have been predicted. Judges make pretrial release decisions based on the information and arguments before them at the time, while defendants awaiting trial retain the presumption of innocence.
In the earlier St. Louis County case, prosecutors accused Wade of repeatedly threatening his former partner and their child. St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Melissa Price Smith told FOX 2 that her office considered the alleged threats especially concerning. The prosecution opposed reducing Wade’s bond when the issue came before the court in August 2025, according to the station’s review of court records.
Wade initially faced a $100,000 cash-only bond, according to the report. McPherson reduced that amount to a $50,000 bond with a 10% requirement, allowing Wade to secure release by posting $5,000. In March, the judge also approved a request that allowed Wade’s GPS monitoring to be removed. The publicly reported material does not provide a complete account of the arguments, evidence or circumstances the judge considered before making either ruling.
Missouri law requires judges setting bail or release conditions to consider whether a defendant poses a danger to a crime victim, the community, a witness or another person. Judges must also consider flight risk and certain aspects of a defendant’s criminal and court history. State law permits courts to impose a range of release conditions, including financial bonds, reporting requirements, restrictions on travel or residence and, in appropriate cases, electronic monitoring.
The separate homicide case arose after a collision on Goodfellow Boulevard near Natural Bridge Avenue on Aug. 27. Police said Wade and a 26-year-old man were traveling in separate vehicles when the vehicles collided. Investigators said an argument about payment followed the crash and that Wade retrieved a firearm and shot the other driver. Officers detained Wade at the scene.
The St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office later charged Wade with first-degree murder and armed criminal action. A probable cause statement cited in local reporting said Wade acknowledged shooting the victim several times after the collision. That statement is part of the criminal case against him and does not constitute a finding of guilt. Wade is being held without bond in connection with the murder charge.
FOX 2 also reported that court records indicated Wade’s 2-year-old child was present during the episode. The shooting brought the unresolved St. Louis County case back into focus because prosecutors had raised concerns about Wade before his bond was reduced. Price Smith said her office remained concerned about the victims connected to the earlier county case as well as the family affected by the later homicide.
McPherson has not publicly explained the specific decisions involving Wade. A spokesperson told FOX 2 that judicial conduct rules established by the Missouri Supreme Court prevent the judge from commenting on details of the pending case. That restriction leaves the court record, including any motions, hearing records and written orders, as the primary source for understanding the basis for the decisions.
The two criminal cases remain separate. Wade has not been convicted of the allegations underlying either the earlier St. Louis County case or the St. Louis murder prosecution. The homicide charge is now moving through the court system as questions continue about what information was before the county court when Wade’s release conditions were changed.
Author note: Last updated September 23, 2026.