In making his request for a lower bail, Levin said Wingard “made some advances” toward Lenis Montoya and wielded a knife. He said his client has no prior criminal record and no problems with drugs or alcohol, and has held a job at Nostalgia Room for years.
“After the (incident), my client voluntarily surrendered to police,” Levin said, adding that Lenis Montoya also gave a statement.
Levin noted that Lenis Montoya is living in the country illegally, and that Immigration & Naturalization Service, or INS, also has a detainer for his arrest. Lenis Montoya’s family is working to get an attorney to address that issue, he said.
Talasnik said the bail was not high considering the number of wounds Lenis Montoya allegedly inflicted. Wingard was stabbed six times in the right side of the neck, six times in the left side of the neck and once in the front of the neck.
“He was straddling the victim, stabbing him 13 separate times,” Talasnik said. In addition, Lenis Montoya possessed false identification from Venezuela, Talasnik said. 
Talasnik called the request for lower bail “an exercise in futility,” as INS would immediately transfer Lenis Montoya to federal custody should he make any bail.
Lenis Montoya, a short, thin man with short, dark hair, appeared for the hearing via video hookup. He addressed the court by telephone, speaking to a Spanish-speaking interpreter.
Atlantic City man claims self-defense in Nov. 3 Ventnor stabbing death (http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/186/story/322412.html - broken link)
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