The Texans were furious after a “fraudulent” judge set up bonds for a capital murder suspect accused of murdering a Houston area a day after his co-defendant, another capital murder suspect.
Former Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg accused Judge Hillary Unger during “Fox & Friends” for providing a path to release to Ronnie Palmer, accused of allegedly accused in connection with the death of Deputy Fernando Esqueda in July 2024.
“Unfortunately, our judges in Harris County show a pattern of recurring releases of violent offenders among us,” Ogg told Lawrence Jones on Friday.
“Now, more than 830 fugitives or bonds are making bonds for murder or murder, but LJ isn't for police officer murder. This is the first time we have.”
Houston Police Union warns the city is “not safe” because the murder suspect is “walking on the street.”
Unger set Palmer's bond at $3 million on Thursday, according to court documents shared by the Harris County Councillors Organization (HCDO). Palmer has been in prison since July and has not had any bonds on the charges up until now.
He is also faced with a worse assault of two counts with the deadly weapon of Escuda's death. The bonds at these charges are each set at $50,000.
Palmer has remained in jail as of Thursday, but he will have the opportunity to post bail and return to the street.
Harris County Sheriff Detective Fernando Esqueda was in uniform in front of the US flag of this portrait provided by the sheriff. Eskeda was shot and killed on a mission in July 2024. (Harris County Sheriff)
This comes right after someone else's release Suspect of Escuda's murder Dremonet Francis was released due to house arrest after posting a set of $1 million bonds in November 2024.
In addition to his capital murder charges, Francis had previously been convicted of drug manufacturing and delivery. He also “inadequately ended” probation in 2022.
Unger, who requires bonds to be set up in such cases, should have set the amount higher to avoid eroding public safety, Ogg argued.
“Unfortunately, Judge Hilary Unger is a fraudulent judge and is famous for releasing recurring criminals who go out and kill other members of our community,” she said.
Suspects face $2 million bail after being filed for a fatal crash at the Texas DPS office
After a blow from the community, defense attorneys told Fox 26 Houston on Thursday that Unger was not involved in setting up Francis' bonds. Houston Police Officers Union And HCDO says she was.
“They made it very difficult for judges. “The bonds were set and no one from the district attorney's office opposed it from the previous administration.”
A local outlet reported Texas filed a hearing of evidence when Francis was arrested in July 2024, which would have made bonds an option. The hearing was supposed to happen within 10 days, but it wasn't so Francis was eligible for bonds and his lawyers demanded that it be set up. It is not clear why the state did not proceed with the hearing.
Anyway, Houston Police Officers Union President Douglas Griffiths argued that Unger could take additional steps to keep the community safe.
“He had multiple bonds. He's out of a long criminal history. She couldn't hold him. There's no mechanism to force him to go out of prison. It's entirely up to her,” he argued during “Fox & Friends First” that the judge had a history of releasing violent criminals with bonds.
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“When these people don't come to court because it's a murder, we're forced to go out there and take them again, then they can shoot another officer,” he continued. “42 rounds have been fired at Vice Esqueda. These are violent criminals. We'll see you again in the news headlines.
According to her campaign website, Unger, who is scheduled for reelection in 2026, has previously campaigned for prioritization of “anilization alternatives aimed at reducing rehabilitation, reducing recidivism and improving community safety.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Harris County District Attorney's Office and the 248th District Court for comment.
Elizabeth Prickett of Fox News contributed to this report.
