$20M bond for Yale graduate student's alleged murderer upheld despite 'potentially record-setting amount'

A second Connecticut judge upheld the $20 million bond for MIT researcher Qinxuan Pan, who is charged with murdering Yale University graduate student Kevin Jiang in February before leading authorities on a monthslong search until his eventual capture in Alabama in May.

Despite its historic height, the $20 million is lower than the $50 million bond sought by prosecutors after Pan was located by U.S. Marshals in Montgomery, Ala., renting an apartment under a fake name and in possession of $19,000 in cash, seven cellphones, seven SIM cards and his father's passport, the New Haven Register reported. Judge Brian Fischer set the bond at $20 million during a May 20 arraignment hearing.  In upholding that number, Harmon concluded the bond set by Fischer "is appropriate to ensure the safety of the community, safety of himself and also his appearance in court," as Pan is considered "an acute risk of flight and also a danger to the public and possibly himself," according to the Courant.