A jury will decide the guilt or innocence of Adam Mentus in the death of an Atkinson, N.H., woman. But while the 19-year-old awaits trial, a judge was right to revoke his bail after prosecutors raised allegations of witness tampering.

Mentus, of Danville, N.H., and several friends were on June 26 in an SUV owned by Deidre Budzyna and parked in the driveway of a friend's house in Sandown, N.H. Police say Mentus was in the back seat of the SUV and playing with a .380-caliber handgun when it fired. The bullet struck Budzyna, who was in the driver's seat, in the back.

Police say Budzyna shouted Mentus' name, then got out of the vehicle with a friend, Christina Sorrentino, and went into the house. Budzyna said she didn't want to die, then collapsed. She was declared dead that night at Parkland Medical Center in Derry, N.H.

Prosecutors have charged Mentus with manslaughter. He faces 15 to 30 years in prison if convicted. Mentus says the gun fired accidentally as he was placing it under the seat.

Mentus was ordered held on $100,000 cash bail. At a hearing on a request to reduce the bail, prosecutors told Rockingham County Superior Court Judge John Lewis that Mentus had made intimidating phone calls to several witnesses he was barred from contacting.

"I've been lifting weights," Deputy County Attorney Tom Reid read from one of the transcripts of phone conversations recorded at the Rockingham County Jail. "I'm gonna get jacked, I'm gonna smash some people."

"When I get out, there are going to be problems. I want problems," read another transcript.

Judge Lewis first denied the request for lower bail then revoked Mentus' bail altogether at a later hearing to allow the defense to review the transcripts. Mentus will remain in jail until his trial.

That was the right decision. Witness tampering is a serious charge. At trial, witnesses must be able to speak truthfully and without fear. Those accused of crimes cannot be allowed to intimidate witnesses to steer the outcomes of trials in their favor.