HOUSTON (KIAH) — Here’s what you missed on Eyewitness News at 9 here on CW39 Houston.
Protest over bond of alleged teen killer
A march for justice in memory of Diamond Alvarez was held at the Harris County District Attorney’s Office on Wednesday.
The suspect, 17-year-old Frank DeLeon, Jr., is accused of killing her last month.
Her family is upset that DeLeon is now out of jail on bond. They want the DA’s office to revoke the bond so that he will be put back behind bars.
Officials with the DA’s office says that since he has not violated bond conditions, they can’t make that request.
“We are fully focused on getting justice for Diamond. We fully support getting violent criminals off our streets, and we will do everything in our power to convict the defendant of this vicious murder and deliver justice to Diamond’s family, her friends, and the entire community,” Dane Schiller, spokesman for the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, said in a statement.
Escaped prisoner caught in Harris County, another still on the loose
A jail escapee from Louisiana was caught in Harris County, but a second one remains on the run.
Rondrakus Taylor is the one authorities are looking for in the Houston area. He’s linked to at least four armed robberies in the area.
Police say if you see him, call 911 and don’t approach him. He’s considered dangerous.
ACLU sues Texas over voting procedures
The ACLU of Texas is now suing the state over alleged voter suppression.
The ACLU accuses the Texas Secretary of State of incorrectly identifying registered voters as “non-citizens.”
The union also said the state refused to reveal records, disclosing how these purged voters are being identified as non-citizens.
The state of Texas has not commented on the lawsuit.
Houston announces $44 million plan to tackle violent crime
More than $44 million is being allocated by officials to tackle rising violent crime in Houston, particularly an ongoing surge of homicides that the mayor says has made residents feel like they’re living in a “city under siege.”
The new initiative includes $5.7 million to pay for overtime for 125 officers, $1 million for a gun buyback program and $3 million to help reduce domestic violence.
Houston, the nation’s fourth largest city, is not alone in dealing with a jump in violent crime during the pandemic. Homicides in the U.S. in 2020 increased nearly 30% over the previous year.
While overall crime in Houston dropped by 3.4% in 2021, homicides increased by more than 18% last year to 479. So far this year homicides in Houston have increased by 30%.
Missing Houston man’s body found in his car trunk in Dallas
Authorities say the remains of a 25-year-old man reported missing in Houston in December were found in the trunk of his car at an impound lot in Dallas.
Houston police said Monday on Twitter that the decaying body found on Jan. 19 at the Dallas impound lot has been identified as Taylour Young.
Police say Young was last known to be driving his Honda Civic near a bank on Dec. 9. His cellphone was found near an ATM.
Houston police and Dallas police both have ongoing homicide investigations in the case. The Dallas County medical examiner’s office said Wednesday that Young’s cause of death is pending.
For more news and weather from ABC13, join us for Eyewitness News at 9 here on CW39.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
