A Texas decide, who has been described as “rogue” and an activist by the Houston Police Officers’ Union, stays underneath hearth after she set bond for the second suspect charged with capital homicide within the dying of Harris County Deputy Fernando Esqueda.
Choose Hilary Unger of the 248th District Felony Court docket in Harris County set bond at $3 million for Ronnie Palmer on Thursday, in line with a courtroom 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 going through two counts of aggravated assault with a lethal weapon in Esqueda’s dying. Bond for these fees is about at $50,000 every.
Unger’s controversial transfer comes someday 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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Choose Hilary Unger set bond at $3 million for Ronnie Palmer, who’s charged with capital homicide and aggravated assault within the dying 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 had been outraged yesterday, simply anticipate what Choose Hilary Unger did immediately. A bond was set for Ronny (sic) Palmer, who’s charged with murdering Deputy Fernando Esqueda. We are actually past outraged, this can be a shame,” the group wrote on X.
HCDO additionally shared the courtroom doc exhibiting 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 instances.
Although Palmer stays in jail as of Thursday, he now has the chance to publish 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 lawyer advised 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 lawyer’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 imagined to occur inside 10 days, however because it did not, Francis grew to become eligible for bond and his lawyer 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 accomplished, you continue to have a proper. One proper is the eighth modification proper to cheap bail. And the cheap bail was set for the codefendant, and he made the bail,” Irvin stated to FOX 26. “No one 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 understood for letting repeat offenders out on bond and ran her election campaigns on prioritizing “alternate options to incarceration with a watch in direction of rehabilitation, a discount in recidivism, and a rise in group security,” in line with her marketing campaign web site.
“This isn’t an remoted case. Choose 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’ll 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 Legal professional’s Workplace and the 248th District Court docket for remark.
