BANGOR – A LaGrange man charged with murdering his wife late last year was released from Penobscot County Jail on Thursday after posting $100,000 cash bail.

Jeremy Hart, 34, has been held since his arrest on Dec. 2, 2007. Police claim he fatally shot his wife, Kristen Smart Hart, 25, during a party at the couple’s LaGrange home a few days before his arrest.

Court documents indicated that Hart caught his wife kissing another man during the party and shot her out of jealousy as she tried to hide under a bed. Hart told detectives the shooting was accidental.

At a hearing on Jan. 23, Superior Court Justice Kevin Cuddy set bail at $100,000 cash. It is uncommon for bail to be allowed in murder cases.

Stephen C. Smith, Hart’s defense attorney, confirmed Friday that his client’s father posted the bail Thursday.

“I’m not surprised that bail was allowed,” Smith said. “This case is rather unusual in the sense that there are a lot of mitigating factors and some real questions about what happened that night.”

Assistant Attorney General William Stokes said his office opposed bail at the January hearing but said the decision was up to the judge.

“It’s unusual to allow bail [in a murder case], but it’s not unheard of,” Stokes said.

In an initial interview with police after the shooting, Hart denied firing the gun. In a follow-up interview, however, Hart said he found a man sitting on his bed, picked up a semiautomatic rifle that was in the bedroom, and shot three or four times.

Court documents say police detectives traced the trajectory of five bullets in the couple’s bedroom. The angles converged in the area toward the foot of the bed where Hart’s wife was hiding.

Detectives also alleged at the January bail hearing that the victim’s body was removed from the home and taken on a four-wheeler about a quarter-mile to the driveway where cars were parked. Her body then was moved to a car by Hart and another man, and left there.

Bail conditions prohibit Hart from possessing firearms, leaving the state without permission or having contact with eight people associated with the Nov. 29 party.

The Harts have three children together, including a 6-year-old daughter who was at the house at the time of the shooting. It’s not clear who has custody of those children.

Smith said a trial date has not been set.

erussell@bangordailynews.net

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