Bond reduction request denied for Cedar Rapids murder defendant

CEDAR RAPIDS — A judge denied a request Friday to reduce the bond for a Cedar Rapids man accused of beating a woman to death with a 1x6 board.

Arthur Flowers, 62, is facing a first-degree murder charge after police say he killed Emily Elizabeth Leonard, 22, of Cedar Rapids on April 2.

Flowers’ attorney, Nekeidra Tucker, told Judge Fae Hoover-Grinde in the hearing Friday that Flowers was requesting his bond be reduced from $1.5 million to $500,000 with the option to pay 10 percent. Tucker said Flowers was requesting the reduction because he has several medical needs, including diabetes and arthritis, that could be better cared for outside the jail.

Flowers wouldn’t be a flight risk, Tucker said, because he would stay with his mother in Cedar Rapids if he were to bond out.

Assistant County Attorney Jordan Schier argued that Flowers’ bond should remain as set because of the severity of the crime and because Flowers has an extensive history of assault charges and multiple failures to appear.

Tucker said that according to Flowers, the failures to appear were because of clerical issues or because he was not notified of hearings.

Judge Hoover-Grinde denied the request to reduce the bond based on the severity of the crime and Flowers’ previous criminal history.

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