A Texas decide, who has been described as “rogue” and an activist by the Houston Police Officers’ Union, stays beneath fireplace after she set bond for the second suspect charged with capital homicide within the demise of Harris County Deputy Fernando Esqueda.
Decide Hilary Unger of the 248th District Felony Courtroom in Harris County set bond at $3 million for Ronnie Palmer on Thursday, in accordance with a court docket doc shared by the Harris County Deputies’ Group (HCDO). Palmer has been in jail since July with no bond on that cost till now.
Along with the capital homicide cost, he’s additionally dealing with two counts of aggravated assault with a lethal weapon in Esqueda’s demise. Bond for these prices is ready at $50,000 every.
Unger’s controversial transfer comes in the future after the opposite suspect in Esqueda’s homicide, Dremone Francis, was launched from jail after he posted the $1 million bond set in November 2024.
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Decide Hilary Unger set bond at $3 million for Ronnie Palmer, who’s charged with capital homicide and aggravated assault within the demise of Harris County Deputy Fernando Esqueda. (JudgeHilaryUnger.com)
The HCDO criticized Unger on Wednesday when Francis was launched from jail, and got here after her once more on Thursday when she set bond for Palmer.
“Should you have been outraged yesterday, simply watch for what Decide Hilary Unger did in the present day. A bond was set for Ronny (sic) Palmer, who’s charged with murdering Deputy Fernando Esqueda. We at the moment are past outraged, it is a shame,” the group wrote on X.
HCDO additionally shared the court docket doc displaying the place Unger set Palmer’s bond for the cost of capital homicide of a police officer at $3 million. Texas legislation permits for bond denial in capital homicide circumstances.
Although Palmer stays in jail as of Thursday, he now has the chance to submit bail and return to the streets.
Ronnie Palmer is charged with capital homicide and two counts of aggravated assault within the July 2024 homicide of Harris County Deputy Fernando Esqueda. (Harris County Sheriff)
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Following blowback from the group, a protection legal professional instructed FOX 26 Houston on Thursday that Unger was not concerned in setting bond for Francis, regardless of the Houston Police Officers’ Union and the HCDO saying that she was.
“They made it very tough for the decide as a result of she will not be the one who had set the bond,” stated Cheryl Irvin. “The bond was set and no one objected to it from the district legal professional’s workplace from the earlier administration.”
Harris County Sheriff’s Deputy Fernando Esqueda was shot and killed in July 2024 in an ambush assault, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez stated on the time. (Harris County Sheriff)
Native shops reported that the State of Texas filed for a proof-evident listening to when Francis was arrested in July 2024, which might’ve made no bond an choice. That listening to was alleged to occur inside 10 days, however because it did not, Francis turned eligible for bond and his legal professional requested or not it’s set. It isn’t clear why the state didn’t proceed with the listening to.
“Individuals have rights. No matter what you assume of us have achieved, you continue to have a proper. One proper is the eighth modification proper to affordable bail. And the affordable bail was set for the codefendant, and he made the bail,” Irvin stated to FOX 26. “No person must be objected to that. He’s on home arrest and all of the issues the decide thought of to be correct.”
Capital homicide suspect Dremone Francis was launched from jail in Harris County, Texas, on Wednesday after posting the $1 million bond set for him in November 2024. (Harris County Sheriff’s Workplace)
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Unger, who’s up for re-election in 2026, is thought for letting repeat offenders out on bond and ran her election campaigns on prioritizing “options to incarceration with an eye fixed in direction of rehabilitation, a discount in recidivism, and a rise in group security,” in accordance with her marketing campaign web site.
“This isn’t an remoted case. Decide Unger has a historical past of prioritizing criminals over victims, undermining legislation enforcement, and making our streets extra harmful,” the police union stated. “If we don’t cease judges like her now, we are going to proceed to see repeat offenders and violent criminals emboldened by a system that refuses to carry them accountable.”
Fox Information Digital has reached out to the Harris County District Lawyer’s Workplace and the 248th District Courtroom for remark.
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