Court records show Walter Pozos, 32, was scheduled to begin a second murder trial last Wednesday, after a mistrial was declared in February because jurors could not reach a verdict.
According to records, Pozos removed his court-ordered ankle monitor on May 11, two days before the trial was set to begin. Pretrial services received a tamper alert and left him a voicemail instructing him to report for an inspection, but records state he never responded. Pozos is now facing multiple warrants for his arrest, and his bond has been revoked.
He is accused in a July 2023 crash in north Harris County that killed his passenger, Hector Castilleja Correa, and injured homeowner Maria Garcia. Deputies said Pozos was intoxicated and driving more than 100 mph while leading deputies on a chase spanning more than 12 miles before losing control and crashing into Garcia's home.
The impact sent debris flying and Garica was hit in the head. She tells ABC13 she still suffers from headaches.
Records show Pozos had remained out of jail on bond following the mistrial earlier this year.
His disappearance marks the second time this month a Harris County murder suspect has allegedly removed an ankle monitor and fled. Lee Gilley, the man accused of killing his pregnant wife, Christa Gilley, was recently captured in Italy after authorities say he fled the country using a fake passport.
Garcia and her husband said they do not understand how Pozos was able to disappear while under electronic monitoring. They said they hope he is quickly found and brought back to court to answer for the passenger's death.
ABC13 requested additional details from Harris County pretrial services about the timeline surrounding the Pozos' ankle monitor tampering but did not receive a response.
Following Gilley's flight, Pretrial Services said they were "committed to refining protocols" so that courts are alerted "in a more near-real tie manner" if someone tampers with a monitoring device.