Capital murder bond reduced by 99%

After the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office advised 252nd District Court Judge Raquel West that it was not ready to proceed to trial Oct. 25, the capital murder bond holding Jonathan Menard was reduced from $1 million just 1% of the original hold – or $10,000 – which was added to a now $3,000 bond for tampering with physical evidence charges connected to the same crime.

Menard, 36, was arrested and indicted in 2021, after investigation reportedly connected him to the disappearance and murder of pregnant girlfriend, 33-year-old Kayla Rice.

Rice, according to the Beaumont Police Department, was last seen in November 2020 and, after an extended period of not being able to contact her, Rice’s out-of-state family reported her missing in December 2020. In short succession, Rice’s vehicle was recovered far from the home she shared with Menard in the 1100 block of McFaddin, noted by police “to have been physically altered.”

Months later, Feb. 11, 2021, the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office in Louisiana received a call indicating Rice had finally been found, her skeletal remains buried in a shallow grave.

Menard was arrested in Calcasieu Parish the same day for a parole violation warrant, then transferred to Jefferson County two weeks later, where was eventually indicted for tampering with physical evidence for altering Rice’s vehicle, and capital murder for killing his live-in girlfriend and the unborn baby she was carrying whom she hoped to name Kyan Dexter.

Two years later, as Menard’s case was finally called for trial, prosecution could not be presented.

“The state cannot proceed to trial only because two of our witnesses are unavailable,” DA prosecutor Philip Smith said. One of the witnesses is the coroner, the prosecutor added. “So, we can’t get by without that witness there.”

Calling on law that requires a “reasonable bond” for defendants when prosecution is not ready for an announced trial setting, Menard’s attorney, Ryan Gertz, insisted that the now longtime inmate was exceptionally indigent and should be allowed an exceptionally low bond, too. Gertz, the lawyer further detailed, is a court-appointed representative; Menard possesses no assets; and the inmate only receives $3 per week in earnings from a trustee position he holds at the jail.

West said she is bound, “unfortunately, honestly, to have to give some relief;” and, after a long sigh, the judge added, “So, I’m going to grant the relief.”

West set aside the $1 million bond Menard was held under, entering new bonds of $10,000 for the capital murder charge and $3,000 for the tampering charge. Conditions of bond will also include GPS monitoring, house arrest only leaving to meet with his attorney or go to court, no alcohol, and no contact with any person connected with the complainants or the halfway house where the parties were staying at the time of the alleged crime. Upon his release, Menard said he plans to reside in Louisiana with his ex-wife and son.

Rice, who was also the mother of an 11-year-old daughter at the time of her murder, was remembered at a graveside service less than a week after her remains were recovered. In the obituary for the accomplished clarinet player that received her BBA in Human Resources in May 2013, Rice’s family recalled a woman who was smart, shy and kind.

“She was a beautiful, funny, and silly person who would do anything for her family and friends, no questions asked,” Rice’s memorial read. “She had a wonderful heart and soul.”