Judge lowers bail for Butler
Woman accused of murder-for-hire gets $100K bail
Tuolumne County Superior Court Judge Kevin Seibert lowered the bail of a Sonora nurse accused of murder-for-hire from $1 million to $100,000 in accordance with the official bail schedule on Monday.
Seibert said he did not see a rationale of extenuating circumstances to have her bail continued to be above a normal level, noting the bail schedule for attempted murder was $500,000, and she’s accused of soliciting someone else to commit murder for her.
The decision was the result of a motion by her attorney, Tuolumne County Public Defender Scott Gross, to reduce her bail in order for her to be home or in the care of a mental health professional.
As of Monday afternoon, she remained in the custody of the Tuolumne County Jail.
Heidi Butler, 38, a former intensive care nurse at Adventist Health Sonora, sat beside Gross in a striped black and white Tuolumne County Jail uniform and pulled her blue mask down below her chin during the hearing to reveal her face.
Butler was arrested on Sept. 11 by the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office at her home on Woodduck Lane in Sonora, following a tip from the FBI about her alleged plan to solicit murder against her husband.
She has pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Gross described Butler as a “lead nurse” with over nine years experience working at Adventist Health Sonora. He said she was transferred to three different hospitals over the course of the COVID-19 crisis, which strained her relationship with her husband and four children.
“Your honor, this took a toll on my client,” Gross said to Seibert. “She was consumed in thoughts of her husband and acted irrationally.”
Gross noted that her husband opposed the criminal protective order currently in place and described her actions as a “cry for help.”
Gross previously stated in his motion for release that difficulty in her eight-year marriage led to her actions.
Gross said in the motion the couple “had finally reconciled their differences and were having a wonderful evening when she was taken into custody.”
He proposed a release on her own recognizance, but also said she would accept the reduced bail with the possibility she could pay for her release. He had previously noted the loss of her job and the necessity to be represented by the Public Defender’s Office portrayed her financial difficulties.
Seibert questioned Gross about her financial status and inquired whether she owned a home, which she denied.
Tuolumne County District Attorney Laura Krieg opposed the reduced bail, arguing Butler was responsible for a “well thought out plan” and that she “fully admitted it.”
Krieg said her scheme involved code words and contacting multiple people. Cooperating witnesses contacted the FBI about her plan, she said.
The Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office said they were tipped to the plan after being contacted by the FBI. The $1 million bail was initially proposed by law enforcement following her arrest.
Seibert set a hearing for Sept. 28 to schedule a preliminary hearing date.