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by JENN WOOD
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A Columbia man accused of stabbing a victim multiple times during a violent altercation was released on a $10,000 personal recognizance bond this week — a decision that is already drawing intense scrutiny amid ongoing concerns about repeat violence and accountability within South Carolina’s justice system.
According to court records from the S.C. fifth judicial circuit, Justin Alexander Emmanuel Reyes, 18, was arrested on March 2, 2026. Court records show Reyes is facing two felony charges stemming from the incident: assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature (ABHAN) and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.
According to the Columbia Police Department (CPD), officers were dispatched shortly after 6:30 p.m. EST on March 2 to the 2700 block of Wheat Street in Columbia’s Shandon neighborhood following reports of a fight in progress. When officers arrived, they found a 58-year-old man suffering from multiple stab wounds and began providing first aid until emergency medical personnel arrived. Investigators believe the victim had been walking his dog when he was attacked, and authorities say the suspect and victim did not know each other prior to the incident.
Witnesses who heard the victim yelling reportedly rushed to the scene, and three men were able to subdue the suspect until officers arrived. The victim was later reported to have suffered approximately six stab wounds but was in stable condition following the attack.
News of the attack was first reported on X by the user Columbia SC Watchdog.
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Justin Reyes allegedly randomly stabbed a 58-year-old man walking his dog in Columbia, South Carolina
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) March 4, 2026
Democrat-appointed Judge Gail Jabber let him out THE NEXT DAY on $10,000 bond. pic.twitter.com/kh3zjmb7uU
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Despite the severity of the allegation, Columbia municipal court judge Gail B. Jabber inexplicably set a $10,000 personal recognizance bond during a hearing on March 3, 2026, allowing Reyes to be released from custody without posting cash bail provided he complies with court-ordered conditions.
Jabber is a Columbia attorney and founding partner of Jabber & Isaac, P.A., a local law firm she operates alongside South Carolina state senator Tameika Isaac Devine, a Richland County Democrat representing Senate District 19.
A personal recognizance bond allows a defendant to be released based on a promise to appear in court rather than requiring a cash payment upfront.
Under the terms of the bond, Reyes must comply with several conditions, including:
- No contact with the victim or the victim’s family
- No direct or indirect contact with witnesses
- Do not return to the location of the incident
- Stay at least 1,000 yards away from the victim’s residence, employment, school or place of worship
Court records show the case remains pending with an initial appearance scheduled for May 29, 2026.
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THE LEGAL HURDLE FOR ATTEMPTED MURDER
Although the victim in this case was reportedly stabbed multiple times, investigators did not charge Reyes with attempted murder. Instead, prosecutors filed assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, commonly referred to as ABHAN.
Under South Carolina law, ABHAN is a felony offense punishable by up to 20 years in prison and applies when an assault causes serious bodily injury or involves conduct likely to produce death or great bodily harm.
Attempted murder, by contrast, requires prosecutors to prove specific intent to kill — a much higher evidentiary standard that often depends on witness statements, medical records and other investigative findings.
A source familiar with the case indicated the charging decision may also have been influenced by information provided to investigators indicating the suspect had recently experienced a change in prescription medication that may have affected his mental state, though authorities have not publicly confirmed whether that factor played a role in the decision.
The source also noted that no prosecutor from the fifth circuit solicitor’s office was present during Reyes’ bond hearing in municipal court, meaning the bond was set without a solicitor appearing on behalf of the state. In South Carolina, municipal bond hearings are often conducted shortly after arrest and may proceed before prosecutors formally review the case.
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BUT—it gets worse. After STABBING the 58 year-old victim SIX times on the sidewalk, @ColumbiaPDSC didn’t charge Reyes with attempted murder on grounds that “Reyes’ doctors changed his prescription last week” and it was having a “domino effect” on his mental state. pic.twitter.com/RLrgBtfNrw
— Columbia SC Watchdog (@ColaSCWatchDog) March 4, 2026
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WHAT A PERSONAL RECOGNIZANCE BOND MEANS
A personal recognizance (PR) bond allows a defendant to be released from custody based on a promise to appear in court rather than requiring cash bail.
Although the bond carries a monetary value, the defendant does not have to pay that amount upfront. Instead, the amount becomes a financial penalty only if the defendant fails to appear in court or violates bond conditions.
Judges typically consider several factors when determining bond, including the seriousness of the alleged offense, the defendant’s prior criminal history, the likelihood that the defendant might fail to appear for future court proceedings, and whether releasing the individual poses a potential danger to the victim or the broader community.
Critics, however, argue that violent crimes involving weapons warrant heightened caution, particularly when victims remain in the community.
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Justin Reyes allegedly randomly stabbed a 58-year-old man walking his dog in Columbia, South Carolina
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) March 4, 2026
Democrat-appointed Judge Gail Jabber let him out THE NEXT DAY on $10,000 bond. pic.twitter.com/kh3zjmb7uU
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STATEMENT FROM REYES FAMILY ATTORNEY
Following the bond hearing, former South Carolina senator and attorney Gerald Malloy, who said he made a special appearance at the hearing on behalf of the Reyes family, released a statement (.pdf) providing additional context about the events leading up to the stabbing.
According to Malloy, the suspect had been experiencing significant mental health challenges in the days leading up to the incident, including what he described as a severe episode following a recent change in prescription medication. Malloy said the young man had begun experiencing episodes during which he believed someone was pursuing him.
In his statement, Malloy said friends and fellow University of South Carolina students had noticed behavioral changes and encouraged him to seek counseling. The suspect’s family and members of their church community also attempted to intervene and help him obtain support services.
Malloy stated that on the evening of the incident the young man had been in communication with his parents and had called 911 seeking emergency assistance, telling dispatchers he feared someone was after him. During what Malloy described as a mental health crisis, the suspect allegedly misidentified an innocent passerby as the person he feared and attacked the individual with a knife.
Malloy said the victim and Reyes family members later spoke briefly at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center following the arrest, expressing concern for one another despite the circumstances.
During the bond hearing, Malloy said the court was informed of the recent medication change and the mental health episode. According to the statement, the Reyes family indicated their son would immediately enter an inpatient treatment facility if released.
Malloy said the young man is now receiving care at an inpatient facility for evaluation and treatment.
“The request for a reasonable bond was made not to minimize the seriousness of the incident,” Malloy wrote, “but to ensure that appropriate mental health care could be secured and that the young man would not remain untreated.”
Malloy also said the Reyes family remains deeply concerned for the victim and his recovery.
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RELATED | ‘THE SYSTEM FAILED LOGAN’
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A SYSTEM UNDER SCRUTINY
The bond decision comes amid continued scrutiny of South Carolina’s criminal justice system following several high-profile cases that have raised questions about how violent offenders remain free in the community.
Last year, the murder of 22-year-old Logan Hailey Federico in Columbia sparked widespread outrage and calls for accountability after investigators revealed the suspect had an extensive criminal history.
As FITSNews previously reported, the man accused of killing Federico — Alexander Dickey — had more than 40 prior arrests, yet gaps in South Carolina’s criminal records system meant the full scope of his criminal history was not reflected in the databases prosecutors and judges rely on when making decisions about detention and sentencing.
For Federico’s father, Stephen Federico, the tragedy exposed deeper failures within the system.
“This was a preventable thing,” he told FITSNews. “The system failed. It failed Logan.”
Federico has since called for reforms to ensure courts and prosecutors have a complete picture of a defendant’s criminal history when making decisions that could determine whether someone remains behind bars or returns to the community.
Those concerns continue to echo in cases like the one now unfolding in Columbia.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
As a private investigator turned journalist, Jenn Wood brings a unique skill set to FITSNews as its research director. Known for her meticulous sourcing and victim-centered approach, she helps shape the newsroom’s most complex investigative stories while producing the FITSFiles and Cheer Incorporated podcasts. Jenn lives in South Carolina with her family, where her work continues to spotlight truth, accountability, and justice.
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7 comments
Compare that to the miniscule under-$300 bond with no treatment required received by Katheryn Dennis Calhoun Ravanel after her drunk driving arrest last year or two years ago.
Then compare both to the humongous $40,000.00 (forty-thousand) bond I was given upon my false arrest on known-false charges of harassing my neighbor “in the first degree” by looking through my own window when that neighbor, Teresa Felicia Ingram-Jackson, was causing a commotion under that window and loudly and profanely berating a third neighbor.
I was also required to undergo mental examination before release, even after paying cash 10% of that bond which, adjusted for inflation amounts to about $60,000.00 (sixty-thousand) today.
That bond was not refunded to me until the charges were, than God and WITHOUT A LAWYER, dismissed WITH PREJUDICE. I requested interest but was denied.
Who pushed for that humongous bond? Hatchet-for-Hire Heather Weiss, who KNEW before hand that said Ingram-Jackson was an unemployed college drop-out who “entertained” in her apartment at least one cocaine dealer, Cory/Corey Lamont Curry, convicted in 2001 by none other than Hatchet-for-Hire herself.
And who affirmed the denial of my request to convert my bond to unconditional PR bond AFTER a jury refused to convict me in the court of none other than Judge Clifton Newman?
None other that John Cannon Few, then Chief Judge of South Carolina’s Court of Appeals.
When “his honor” said that he is “proud of everything” he did as a jurist, that was a renewed metaphoric to my face.
BTW, that same Theres Ingram-Jackson, name deliberately misspelled by the City of Columbia, was later convicted of victimizing ME with disorderly conduct.
But the same City which hounded me for bonds for false charges never bothered TO THIS DAY to even collect the fine from that Ingram-Jackson woman, who CONTINUED to live in Columbia and to have at least one subsequent drug conviction there.
Is “the honorable” John Cannon Few “proud” of that unequal justice under the law during his tenure and by his own hands?
Malicious prosecution is an actionable tort.
Do not let the stature of limitations run out.
Thanks for caring. The tortious acts are continuing; and I hope the statute of limitations is keyed from the most recent, not the most remote, tortious acts in the same scheme; and I hope I live long enough to take legal and proper action against the torts.
It seems to me that sending this young person to get treatment rather than locking him up was a wise move.
Wise comment Yeah. He can still kill people while being tested..
Maybe he could stab the leftist radical idiot judge that went easy on him?.
Common sense is not so common.And neither is wisdom
Black man. Black female bench warmer
He was PNG’d from campus and giving him a PR bond is about as effective as preventing future issues.