A judge yesterday refused to let a North Laurel man out of prison pending appeal of his conviction for the 1987 robbery and murder of a popular 85-year-old vendor at area horse-racing tracks.
The attorney for Nuri Tuncer Icgoren argued that his client met all the bail requirements before his November 1993 conviction and that the same standards should be applied to the case now.
But Howard Circuit Judge Raymond Kane Jr. said that the circumstances are different now -- Icgoren is serving a life sentence for first-degree murder in the stabbing death of Raymond Jerman Sr. on Sept. 29, 1987. "It seems to me that there is a substantial risk that he will flee," Judge Kane said.
The judge said he would reconsider his ruling if Icgoren wins his appeal before the state Court of Special Appeals and the case is sent back to Howard County for another trial.
Frederic Heyman, a Bel Air attorney for Icgoren, noted that his client called his probation officer every week while he was free on $100,000 bail before his conviction.
Icgoren, a 42-year-old native of Turkey, also gave up his passport, agreed not to travel out of Maryland and had no contact with any witnesses in the case before his trial, Mr. Heyman said.
If released pending his appeal, Icgoren would live with his mother in North Laurel until his next trial, Mr. Heyman said.
Icgoren, a former exercise rider at Bowie Race Course, was convicted of stabbing Mr. Jerman six times during a robbery while the vendor's truck was stopped along U.S. 1 in North Laurel.
Mr. Jerman, who lived in Gambrills, was known for selling soda, snacks and produce from a pickup truck at area tracks, often carrying as much as $50,000 with him to cash checks for racetrack workers.
Icgoren, who maintains his innocence, has had three trials in the case.
He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison after a 1988 trial, but the state Court of Special Appeals overturned the verdict and ordered a second trial.
At his second trial in November 1992, the jury was deadlocked after two days of deliberations, and a mistrial was declared. Icgoren was convicted again in November 1993.