Judge sets bond at $750K for woman accused of killing sister, having 13-year-old son help hide body
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A woman charged with capital murder in the death of her sister appeared before a judge on Wednesday morning.
A judge set 38-year-old Carmen White's bond at $750,000. She is accused of shooting her sister, 37-year-old Cynthia Cervantes, to death and making her 13-year-old son help move the body.
The video above is from a previous report.
A witness reported a burned body to police in the 3500 block of Cherry Street around 11:30 a.m. on April 1.
An autopsy identified the body as Cervantes and determined that she had been shot multiple times before her body was set on fire.
PREVIOUS STORY: Woman who allegedly had her 13-year-old son help hide her sister's body in custody, records say
White was arrested back on Feb. 8 on a charge of terroristic threat of a family member and possession of a controlled substance, and when it was time to appear in court for those charges, she never showed.
A family friend told authorities that he noticed White's strange and odd behavior after her sister's death.
He said he noticed White became paranoid and extremely nervous on April 8 after she insisted on trading her vehicle she had bought on March 5. She claimed the air conditioner was broken.
WATCH: Woman charged after her sister was found burned to death, records show
After an initial investigation, Houston police identified White as a suspect in her sister's death.
White's gray Chevrolet HHR was spotted on camera footage from Texas Blending and Warehousing on April 1, investigators said.
The family friend was shown images of the vehicle and was able to identify it as White's, pointing out the marks on the vehicle and a yellow dent on the driver's side and rear paper tags.
Records indicate a significant amount of blood was detected in the "rear cargo area and on an envelope found under the front driver's side seat."
The friend also told authorities that White had a motive for killing her sister. He said White was mad that Cervantes called the police on her and wanted to get back at her sister.
When White's ex-boyfriend said he would not help White move her sister's body to her trunk, court documents state she had her 13-year-old son help.
The boy said he "reached down and lifted what felt like human legs, so he dropped the legs on the ground."
He said his mother became extremely aggressive and he "feared what she may do to him, so he gave in out of fear for his safety."
White was arrested on Monday, June 27.
