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Nola
August 3, 2015
A Gentilly man suspected in one of New Orleans’ most high-profile murders of 2015 could be back on the streets within days because he has not been indicted within the requisite 120 days.
Court records show Orleans Parish Magistrate Commissioner Jonathan Friedman on Thursday ordered the release of Michael Portis, whom police arrested April 1 in connection with the slaying of Domino’s pizza deliveryman Michael Price.
Price, a 36-year-old husband and father of three,was found shot to death inside his car around 1 a.m. on March 24, after delivering pizza near the 6100 block of North Roman Street in the Lower 9th Ward.
Portis, 24, has been held four months without bond while awaiting the disposition of his first-degree murder allegation. Friedman ordered Portis’ release Thursday in accordance with state law, when the allotted 120-day detention ended without formal charges brought.
Portis remains in custody at Orleans Parish Prison only on a detainer from the U.S. Marshals Service, alleging a violation of his parole on a 2012 federal weapons conviction. That parole violation is linked to his arrest in the Price case, and could be dismissed within the next two weeks by a federal judge.
Since he hasn’t been indicted on the murder charge, Portis has not entered a formal plea in court. He was represented by a public defender when ordered held without bond on April 1.
Orleans Parish District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro expressed frustration with the situation Friday in an interview with NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. Portis’ case did not slip through the cracks, Cannizzaro said. Rather, he said prosecutors have been stymied by a case that still has too many holes for his office to confidently seek a grand jury indictment.
