RICHMOND, Va. -- A Richmond judge granted a $150,000 bond to Nico Rivera following a bond appeal hearing on Wednesday.
Rivera, 27, of Mechanicsville, is charged with second-degree murder in connection to the death of Jacob Baldwin.
Both the prosecution and defense agreed Rivera, a VCU graduate who now works at Howmet Aerospace, threw a single punch on Oct. 12 that knocked Baldwin to the ground in Richmond's Scott's Addition neighborhood.
Baldwin struck his head when he fell and later died from his injuries, police said.
Rivera's bond comes with conditions such as not being allowed to contact any witnesses involved with this case, including his girlfriend, directly or indirectly.
Neither Rivera's family nor attorney has commented publicly about the situation.
Baldwin's father spoke after Wednesday's bond appeal hearing.
"You just can't allow these types of things to continue. We just don't want it to happen again to someone else's family or happen to anyone," Jeff Baldwin said. "Now we'll just wait for what happens next."
One week after the assault, and one day after police and Baldwin's parents and friends came forward urging those with information to come forward, Rivera turned himself in at Richmond Police Headquarters on Saturday, October 19.
It was revealed in court this week that Baldwin and Rivera randomly encountered each other in Scott’s Addition early on Saturday, October 12.
What led to the violence that left a man dead in Scott's Addition?
The Commonwealth’s Attorney played videos of their altercation captured on a stranger’s cell phone.
They say the first encounter happened when Baldwin tried to get into a group photo of Rivera and his friends.
When it appeared tensions dissipated, prosecutors allege an enraged Rivera attempted to fight Baldwin as a friend held him back.
They said Rivera then walked around someone and punched Baldwin in the eye causing Baldwin to fall back and hit his head.
The James River High School and University of Mississippi graduate worked as a bartender at Wild Ginger Restaurant in Midlothian, his family said.
Baldwin was in Richmond to attend a wedding and later went to Scott's Addition for an after-party with friends.
The prosecution cited Rivera's criminal history, which included felony vandalism, and court-ordered anger management classes as reasons why the bond should be denied.
Dozens of Rivera’s friends and family stood in support during the initial bond hearing.
Rivera’s defense attorney handed the judge 50 letters of support for her client and urged the judge to grant the bond.
Rivera is due back in court for a preliminary hearing on December 5.
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