Suspect granted pretrial release on battery charges despite violations before allegedly killing victim

EAST MOLINE, Ill. – Court documents show an East Moline man was granted pretrial release despite repeated violations before he allegedly killed the victim.

On Jan. 23, shortly before 10:30 a.m., police say officers were sent to an apartment at 1126 15th Avenue in East Moline for a welfare check on a woman who was not showing up for work.

Upon arrival, police say officers found a woman dead in her apartment with apparent stab wounds. The woman has since been identified as Bonnie Smith, 56.

^{“Bonnie was an avid reader. She loved “only good movies, only good music”. She was a very proud mom who taught her children to sing into their hair brushes. Bonnie believed wholeheartedly in retail therapy. She loved to do a very loud Tarzan yell right before dropping her kids off to school, much to her children’s delight! Bonnie enjoyed working at Jewel-Osco; she was employed over 15 years. Bonnie enjoyed her time with her work friends and work kids. There are many stories of work kids she listened to when their lives were upset. She was the work mom. Bonnie was there ready to help her own beloved children when needed. She will be missed deeply.”}

According to police, Smith’s son Michael Bryant, 32, of East Moline, has now been charged with two counts of First-Degree Murder, a Class M Felony.

At the time of his arrest, Bryant was already in custody in relation to a domestic battery case from November.

However, on the day of the alleged murder, Bryant was out of jail on pretrial release in that domestic battery case.

Battery case.

On Nov. 26, prosecutors say Bryant grabbed Smith, his mother, by the neck and threw her to the ground. He was charged with two counts of Domestic Battery, a Class A Domestic Violence Misdemeanor.

On Nov. 28, Bryant was released from jail with conditions, including not to make contact with Smith, court records show.

On Jan. 21, Bryant was scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing in the domestic battery case but he did not show up, court documents show.

Despite failing to appear in court, a warrant was not issued for Bryant’s arrest.

Instead, prosecutors agreed to reschedule Bryant’s court hearing for March 18, court documents show.

On Jan. 23, two days after Bryant missed his court hearing, police found Smith dead in her apartment with stab wounds.

Court documents show the investigation into Smith’s murder found Bryant had violated his no-contact order in the days leading up to the alleged murder.

The owner of Smith’s apartment building, and other witnesses, told investigators they saw Bryant regularly meeting with Smith at her apartment, despite his pretrial release conditions prohibiting him from contacting her, court documents show.

Early in the investigation, police considered Bryant a ‘prime suspect’ in Smith’s murder, court documents show.

On Jan. 26, Bryant was arrested and charged for violating pretrial release conditions, court records show.

At his first appearance in court for the violations, a judge denied pretrial release and ordered for Bryant to return to jail, court records show.

On Feb. 24, authorities formally charged Bryant with First Degree Murder.

Latest updates.

FEBRUARY 26, 2026
Associate Judge Daniel Dalton denied pretrial release after two counts of First Degree Murder were formally filed against Bryant, court records show.

Judge Dalton also ordered Bryant to undergo a fitness evaluation by a qualified psychologist. A status hearing on this matter is set for March 23 at 1 p.m.

A preliminary hearing for the murder charges is set for March 10 at 8:30 a.m.

Court records show the original domestic violence and pretrial release violation cases were combined with the murder case, and will be addressed on same schedule.

Stay tuned in for further updates.

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