Lizzie Kaboski

CROWN POINT — A judge denied bail for a Gary man who faces murder charges for shooting his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend less than a week before the victim's body was found bound with duct tape and decapitated.

Lake Criminal Court Judge Natalie Bokota issued a ruling Thursday that denied bail to Ralph Stokes II, 24, who faces a murder charge in the death of 25-year-old Jimmijion Bailey, court records show. Bailey was found in a ditch Oct. 11 in the 2300 block of Clay Street.

Stokes appeared in court Tuesday with his attorneys. The hearing was rescheduled to Sept. 24, when the prosecution and defense will likely discuss whether to schedule the case for trial.

Defendants charged with murder aren't typically given bail unless they request a hearing in which prosecutors mu

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