‘Unacceptable’: Man accused in NoDa woman’s brutal stabbing death bonds out of jail

CHARLOTTE — A man accused of murdering a 20-year-old woman with disabilities has bonded out of jail, records show.

James Salerno was one of four suspects originally charged in connection to the death of Mary Collins. Investigators say they found Collins stabbed 130 times and stuffed inside a mattress at a NoDa apartment in April 2020.

Salerno was behind bars without bond for about three years before a judge gave him a $250,000 bond in January, our partners at The Charlotte Observer reported.

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According to jail records for the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office, Salerno bonded out of jail on Saturday.

Collins’ grandmother, Mia Alderman, tells Channel 9′s Hunter Sáenz she was sickened to hear the news but is steadfast in pursuing justice for her granddaughter.

“This is unacceptable and we don’t accept this,” Alderman told Channel 9 after learning the accused killer is out on the streets again in Charlotte. “He’s just out. He can do anything.”

Collins’ family has gone through a lot and Alderman said the latest development is another blow.

“I just don’t see how they cannot care … how a system can be set up to be so pro-criminal,” Alderman said.

As for the others charged in the case, America Diehl was charged with concealment and failure to report a death and accessory after the fact. She’s out on bond. Kelly Lavery pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to at least 25 years in prison. Lavi Pham pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder.

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