Judge lowers bond of two men charged with capital murder in shooting of 7-year-old Jazmine Barnes
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Jazmine Barnes' father says he's hurt after seeing the bond dropped for the men accused of killing his daughter.
"It really hurt more than anything," said Christopher Cevilla, the little girl's father. "It's all on the justice system, how they see things."
Larry Woodruffe and Eric Black Jr. are charged with capital murder.
Investigators say they shot at the car carrying the seven-year-old girl in a case of mistaken identity. Barnes was killed on December 30, 2018.
The suspects' bonds were recently lowered.
Woodruffe's bond was lowered from $1 million down to $250,000, and he remains in jail. Black was able to make bond and is now out after his bond was lowered to $150,000.
"Why would you lower the bond on a capital murder charge of a child that's seven-years-old?" asked Cevilla.
Judge Nikita Harmon is the judge in the case. Judges are the ones who set bonds.
ABC13 Eyewitness News reached out to Harmon, but her staff said she is out this week.
Jazmine's father says a prosecutor in the district attorney's office called him concerning the bond on Sunday night.
"(The prosecutor) was pushing to get it raised up higher, but it was all on the judge," said Cevilla.
However, Jazmine's stepmother, Heather Cevilla, feels more could be done.
"You can't just put it on the judge," she said. "To me, there was not enough effort put into it."
The conditions of Black's bond include no contact with Jazmine's family or the co-defendant. He also must submit to drug and alcohol testing.
Black must remain in Harris County and counties that surround it such as Montgomery, Fort Bend and Brazoria counties. He's also required to comply with GPS monitoring.
Despite the conditions, Jazmine's stepmother says the conditions don't go far enough.
"Those (GPS devices) can be cut off," she said. "You still can make a run for it."
ABC13 Eyewitness News also reached out to the attorneys of both Black and Woodruffe, but did not receive a response.
