Bail was set at $2 million Friday for a Santa Rosa woman charged with second-degree murder in a fatal crash police said happened while she was chasing her boyfriend on his motorcycle.
Heather Howell, 29, was being held without bail in the July 14 crash that killed Jesse Garcia, 56, also of Santa Rosa.
Witnesses said Howell ran into Garcia's Triumph convertible on Hall Road while she was driving at high speeds in pursuit of her boyfriend, Tony Kraus, 45, of Penngrove.
According to preliminary hearing testimony, Kraus told Howell he was cheating on her and she tried to run him over.
The bail ruling from Judge Jamie Thistlethwaite means Howell can be released while she awaits her Feb. 8 trial. Her lawyer, Steve Spiegelman, argued she was not a flight risk and attempted to help Garcia at the scene of the fiery crash.
But first Howell would need to raise 10 percent — or $200,000 — in cash. A family member said outside court it was unlikely the former nursing student would post bail.
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