Capital murder suspect mistakenly released from Harris Co. jail taken back into custody, HCSO says

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- An inmate who had been mistakenly released from Harris County Jail was brought back into custody on Friday night, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office.

Justin Tompkins, 21, had been in jail since December 2022 after he was arrested on a capital murder charged filed by the Houston Police Department.

Tompkins was released from the jail right after 9 p.m. on Thursday after jail staff mistook him for another inmate with the same name. According to law enforcement, the staff realized the mistake on Friday night, and the sheriff's office promptly began a search.

Tompkins' bail was set at $750,000.