A Houston judge raised Gonzalo Leon Jr.’s bond to $1.3M after prosecutors filed two new charges in the shooting death of 11-year-old Julian Guzman.
New details emerged in court Monday morning in the case of Gonzalo Leon Jr., the man accused of fatally shooting 11-year-old Julian Guzman while the boy was playing ding-dong ditch in August, on Houston’s eastside.
Leon Jr., who wore an orange jumpsuit and shackles, remained silent and emotionless throughout the proceeding.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The video is from the Sept. 19 report of the original murder indictment.
Late last week, a grand jury indicted Leon Jr. on a murder charge, which he had been previously charged with. The grand jury also indicted Leon Jr. on two additional charges: injury to a child and aggravated assault.
In court Monday, it was revealed that while the injury to a child charge is connected to Guzman, the aggravated assault charge stems from another child who was allegedly running away during the gunfire.
“The aggravated assault is essentially the same manner and means, if you will, but the complainant is different,” 177th District Court Judge Emily Detoto said.
KHOU 11 confirmed with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office that the aggravated assault charge comes for the specific accusation that Leon Jr. Fired toward the child, even though that child was not hit. However, defense attorneys said they have not seen any evidence relating to that.
“While it does have a different complaining witness named, it’s also the same facts and the same allegations, right. Both haven’t been proven, and we don’t have the facts from those yet to be able to confirm or deny any of those things. I still have a list of 14 items that I’ve been asking for since 9/4, some of which since 9/3, the date that I was appointed”, defense attorney Gianpaolo Macerola said.
Defense attorney Jose Vela added, “We really don’t even know any sort of facts that actually show that he’s actually the person who shot, and who was there, how many were there.”
The state asked for $500,000 bond for each of the new charges. The defense asked the judge to lower the $1 million bond for murder and combine all three charges under a $300,000 bond.
The judge ruled that the $1 million bond for murder will remain unchanged. She added $100,000 bond for the injury to a child charge and $200,000 bond for the aggravated assault charge. That brings Leon Jr.’s total bond to $1.3 million.
Prosecutors told the court they still anticipate upgrading the case to capital murder, but said the investigation is ongoing. The judge agreed it was “well within the state’s prerogative” to pursue the new indictments and said more evidence could lead to a capital murder charge.
The shooting happened on Aug. 30 on Racine Street in east Houston. Police said Guzman and a group of kids were ringing doorbells when someone came outside and opened fire.
Guzman was hit multiple times and later died at the hospital. A grand jury indicted Leon Jr. on Sept. 19.
Leon Jr.’s next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 21.
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