Abbott seeks stricter bail laws after East Texas murder suspect escapes while under house arrest

VAN ZANDT COUNTY, Texas (KETK) – Gov. Greg Abbott continues to seek stricter bail laws after authorities lost track of a murder suspect in Van Zandt County last week.

On May 5, Trevor McEuen was due in court after he was charged with murder in connection with the 2023 fatal shooting of Aaron Martinez in Kaufman County. At around 5:33 a.m. that day, McEuen, who had been released from jail after posting a $2,000,000 bond, removed his ankle monitor and left his family’s Van Zandt County home where he was confined to house arrest.

McEuen’s disappearance triggered a search of Van Zandt County and the issuing of a $10,000 reward for information leading to his arrest after officials concluded that he had left the county.

On Wednesday, FOX4 in Dallas reported that Abbott had a roundtable discussion centered around his desire for the Texas Legislature to pass new laws that will deny bail to those charged with certain violent offences.

“Everyone involved in the bail system has a responsibility to put the safety of Texans first—from the activist judges who set weak bail to the legislators who have the opportunity to keep repeat offenders off our streets,” Abbott’s press secretary, Andrew Mahaleris, said to KETK on Monday. “Texas must keep dangerous criminals like McEuen behind bars. This session, Gov. Abbott will work with the legislature to require judges deny bail to criminals charged with capital murder and other heinous, violent crimes. Democrats must choose – support the safety of the citizens they represent, or the criminals who kill them.”

The main bill proposed this session to change Texas’s bail laws is Senate Joint Resolution 5, which would present voters with a constitutional amendment that authorizes “the denial of bail under limited circumstances to a person accused of certain violent or sexual offenses or of continuous trafficking of persons.”

SJR 5 passed the Texas Senate in a 28 to 2 vote on Feb. 20. According to the Texas Tribune, similar bills have passed the Senate in recent years but have died in the House since they need a two-thirds majority vote to pass amendments to the Texas Constitution.

“The Senate has passed bail reform legislation in every session for the past six years, but, unfortunately, every single bail reform bill has died in the Texas House. The Texas Senate will continue to pass this bail reform package until the Texas House takes action,” Lt. Gov Dan Patrick said on Feb. 20. “Repeat offenders should not be allowed to roam freely, continuing their crime sprees and causing chaos across our state. The Texas Senate has listened to the concerns of Texans statewide whose lives have been destroyed by criminals released on low bonds or no bonds at all set by irresponsible judges or magistrates.”

Other senate bills like Senate Joint Resolution 1 and Senate Bill 9 also passed in February and are waiting to pass through the Texas House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence, along with SJR 5.

SJR 1 proposes a constitutional amendment denying bail to undocumented immigrants charged with felonies and SB 9 denies personal bond for anyone charged with murder by manufacturing or delivering fentanyl, unlawful possession of a firearm, violating certain court orders like family violence protective orders and making terroristic threats.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas updated its “Bail In Texas: A Brief for State and Local Policymakers” in January. The brief discusses the costs of unwarranted pretrial detention for local jails, those unable to afford bail and the Constitution.

“Unwarranted pretrial incarceration is costly and increases crime. It also breaks important promises in our Constitution and our laws about what justice is supposed to look like. The U.S. Constitution requires that in each case, before locking someone up before trial, the government must prove that pretrial detention is necessary at a fair hearing,” ACLU of Texas, senior manager of policy, Nick Hudson wrote in the brief. “Furthermore, pretrial detention should only be allowed in extremely limited circumstances. State and local policymakers must take steps to eliminate wealth-based detention while respecting the presumption of innocence and the fundamental right to pretrial freedom.”