PUNTA GORDA, Fla. — The suspects accused of conspiring to commit murder in the Jan. 24 slaying of Mario Schiano, 47, and Anthony Galeotti, 44, have been denied bond and will stay in custody until their trial.
Kelly Schiano, Mario Schiano's wife, and Everett Harper both appeared in court on Friday, Feb. 9 for pretrial bond hearings. The state argued bond should not be set for either suspect, and the pair should be kept in pretrial detention.
State Assistant Attorney Hamid Hunter argued that details in a sealed affidavit outline Schiano's role in the killings, and her text messages prove she knew harm was coming to her husband and didn't stop it.
"The supplemental affidavit that you have establishes that Ms. Schiano knew that something was going to happen to her husband on the day of the crime, on Jan 24," said Hunter. "She was actually texting with her husband about how much she loved him on the 24th, she was texting with her daughter business as usual, while knowing what was going to happen to Mr. Schiano."
Hunter also stated that Schiano knew the identity of the shooter, and didn't tell investigators. The shooter is still on the run, prosecutors say.
"The identity of the perpetrator was known to Ms. Schiano, and not only did she mislead law enforcement, she concealed the identity of the perpetrator from law enforcement, which allowed a dangerous killer to escape their jurisdiction," said Hunter.
In a press conference on Thursday at the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office, the sheriff did say the investigation brought them out of state, but did not elaborate where.
Judge Shannon McFee ruled in favor of the state's motion for pretrial detention, and Kelly Schiano was removed from the court in tears.
Everett Harper, represented by Steven Leskovich, will also be kept in pretrial detention, and id not argue against the state.
“We are aware of what’s going on but until we learn more, and because its still an ongoing active investigation we didn’t feel comfortable asking for a bond today,” said Leskovich.
Schiano and Harper will appear in court for their arraignments on March 11.
