The family of a murder victim is questioning a judge’s decision to reinstate bond for the accused killer only for him to allegedly commit another violent crime.
On Tuesday, Horace Harris, 20, was charged in connection to a violent carjacking, accused of pistol-whipping a mother of six children and taking her car.
Harris has a lengthy criminal record and was out on a $100,000 bond from a capital murder charge in the 2017 shooting death of Melton McGee.
McGee was shot in the head while sitting in his SUV in an apartment complex in Atascocita. He then drove into a garage where he died.
“I told them from the beginning he’s a menace to society,” said Ursula McGee, the victim’s mother.
Not only was he out on bond, but court records showed he had violated his probation and then parole for assaulting a public servant.
He also violated bond on the capital murder charge. Still, District Court Judge Robert Johnson reinstated it. Johnson has not responded to any requests for comment.
“For you to release somebody from jail on capital murder and put him back into society, you obviously don’t really care,” McGee’s stepbrother James Cox said.
“How do you get a bond on capital murder charge?” asked Simon Conrad, McGee’s brother.
On Tuesday, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office told reporters they had initially asked for no bond and then agreed on $100,000.
They did not agree with the bond reinstatement.
“This isn’t bail reform. This is bail abuse,” said David Mitchum, first assistant district attorney and trial chief.
Now, Harris remains in jail with no bond. McGee’s family says the judge’s decision should be concerning for everyone.
“Just because it happened to me, it doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen to you. Because if he’s letting them out, you never know when you’re going to come across them. I know this lady, she didn’t know she was going to come into contact with someone who killed someone and has a long record, and is still walking around,” added McGee’s mother.
