Man accused of Houston middle school student's murder appears in court

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A man accused in the brutal murder of a middle school student made his first appearance in court Friday morning.

Jose Granados-Guevara and two teenagers are accused of killing Jose Meraz in what investigators say was gang-related killing.

Granados-Guevara, 22, appeared before Judge Susan Brown in the 185th district court. The Salvadoran national stood with his lawyer and an interpreter.

He's accused of killing Meraz by brutally stabbing him with a machete. Investigators say Meraz did not want to be part of the MS-13 gang.

On Friday, the court found probable cause to keep Guevara in custody. He has a court-appointed lawyer and the case will be reset for a later date.

"At this point, I'm not comfortable saying it was a gang assassination," said Assistant DA Tanisha Manning. "What I am comfortable saying is that both the complainant and both defendants have been implicated as being members in the MS-13 gang."

While the case is pending, Guevara is not allowed to have contact with witnesses. He's not allowed to ask outside gang members or family to contact witnesses. He also cannot write letters to any witnesses.