The judge set a bond of $500,000 and imposed special conditions at a Thursday hearing.
SAN ANTONIO — Romeo Belmudez, 16, made his last appearance in juvenile court Thursday as the teen was certified to stand trial as an adult and transferred to the Bexar County jail.
The teen is facing two felony charges: murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Belmudez appeared before Judge Cruz Shaw, as both prosecutors and the defense agreed to waive a hearing and proceed with an agreement that the transfer would take place.
Court records reflect Belmudez is charged with a shooting in September that killed 19-year-old Jason Pena and injured another person.
The attack happened on West Hildebrand Avenue at a wireless store.
Court personnel said there is surveillance video of the attack that reportedly shows Belmudez walking up to the victim and shooting him at nearly point-blank range.
According to court records, Belmudez was able to flee from the scene and remain at large until late October.
Juveniles are not eligible for bond, so the teen has been in detention since his arrest. After he was certified to move to the adult system, Belmudez became eligible for bond.
Citing the violent nature of the attack, the prosecutor asked the judge for a bond of $500,000.
The teen’s defense attorney told the judge a bond in the range of $50,000 to $75,000 would be more appropriate and alleged the deceased was a self-proclaimed cartel member, as if to justify a lower bond amount.
Judge Shaw sided with the state, establishing a high bond in the interest of safety for all the parties involved and the community.
Bonds for Belmudez now total $500,000. If he is able to come up with enough resources to make bail, the judge has imposed special conditions including a GPS monitor, full house arrest and a no-contact order with any of the family members of victims in the shooting incident.