Prosecutors allege that the suspect pulled a gun on the victim and a previous girlfriend before the deadly shooting.
A teen suspect accused of shooting his ex-girlfriend 22 times as she walked her dog in her southwest Houston neighborhood, is free on bond, court records say, according to a published news report.
Frank Deleon, Jr., 17, was arrested on Monday by Houston police and charged with murder for the Jan. 11 shooting death of 16-year-old Diamond Alvarez, NBC News reported.
On Tuesday, Deleon was released from the Harris County Jail after making the $250,000 bond, according to court records, Click 2 Houston reported.
On Wednesday, Deleon showed up at court with his parents and no attorney, KPRC-TV News reported.
During the court proceeding, new allegations emerged about Deleon, including that he may have been involved in a possible love triangle that ended with the death of Alvarez, according to Click2Houston.
During the court hearing, prosecutors said Deleon pulled a gun on Alvarez and another girlfriend at separate times during their relationship, KPRC TV reported.
Prosecutors stated that Deleon recently owned a 9mm gun, but Deleon claims he got rid of it before New Year’s, according to Click 2 Houston. Prosecutors also said at the time of Deleon's arrest, officers found a suitcase packed with clothes and personal items, “proving he wasn’t going on a short trip,” the news station reported.
According to the authorities, Alvarez had recently learned that Deleon was involved with another girl while they were still dating, NBC reported.
The victim's sister said that Alvarez and Deleon had texted on Sun. Jan. 9, two days before the tragedy.
She alleged that Deleon reportedly begged Alvarez to not tell the other girl about the relationship, and that Deleon texted her sister multiple times stating, “Don’t ruin this for me,” Click2Houston.com reported.
The night of the deadly shooting, the victim's sister said that Alvarez was planning to meet up with Deleon at the park. She said that she told her sister not to go, the news outlet reported.
Shortly after, she said she heard gunshots. Alvarez’s sister said that when their mother was unable to reach Alvarez by phone they went out looking for her. They soon found Alvarez’s body in the field. Machado, Alvarez's mother, said that she tried to perform CPR on her daughter, but it was too late, Click 2 Houston reported.
During Wednesday's court appearance, Deleon Jr. said he and Alvarez were “kind of seeing each other,” according to published reports. He also claimed that Alvarez was “stalking him,” and the pair hadn’t spoken since Jan. 8,” according to published reports. He told investigators the night she was killed, he was walking to a convenience store, Click2Houston reported.
Prosecutors said the other girlfriend told investigators that he had pulled a gun on her. She also told investigators that the same day of the shooting, she texted Alvarez regarding her relationship with Deleon, and told investigators that she sent screenshots of their conversation to the suspect, Click2Houston reported.
The grief-stricken mother told KPRC TV that her daughter and Deleon were going out for less than a year, and said she “never saw any red flags,” to warn her daughter that she was in danger, and described their relationship as “off and on,” NBC News reported.
Diamond's mother said after her daughter was killed she kept on hearing her daughter's voice in her head telling her the name repeating his name. “It was him,” Machado said, KPRC TV reported.
Her mother added: “It wasn’t love. It wasn’t a breakup. He was angry at my daughter,” KPRC TV reported
Diamond’s mother said she wants justice for her daughter. “I have to be strong right now. I can’t break, this is not over,” she said, in part.
Alvarez was a sophomore and honor student at Madison High School, and dreamed one day of becoming a beautician. Her funeral is scheduled for Friday at 11 a.m. in Houston.
Under his bond conditions, Deleon cannot have contact with anyone involved with the case, including the other alleged girlfriend, any witnesses or their family members. He was granted house arrest with a GPS monitor, ABC 13 News reported.
The judge reiterated that if it is discovered that Deleon is not living at their home, his bond will be revoked, ABC 13 News reported.
Deleon is scheduled in court on March 9, according to KPRC TV.
A GoFundMe has been created to help with Alvarez's funeral costs. As of Thursday, nearly $16,500 was raised surpassing their initial goal of $10,000.
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