A Texas family says they fear for their safety after an accused killer's bond was dropped from $800,000 to just $200.
Stephon Martin Morson, 19, is accused of killing 20-year-old Keshawn Cage in October 2024, CBS Austin reported. Morson's bond was reduced because of requirements under state law.
In Texas, prosecutors must indict a person for a felony within 90 days of their arrest. If they fail to present the case to a grand jury, the bond is dropped to something the defendant can afford. In this case, that meant lowering the $800,000 to $100 for the murder charge and $100 for the allegation of tampering with evidence, CBS Austin reported.
Morson posted the lower amount, and is free. The requirements of bond have Morson under house arrest and wearing a GPS monitor.
"Absolutely, we are fearful. I don't know if there is anything we can do to reverse his being released. I think that unfortunately, we are past that, due to the ball being dropped by our DA," Cage's aunt told CBS Austin.
"For a man accused of murder to have his bond reduced so low that he's able to walk free is a slap in the face to Austinites who could potentially become the next victim. The revolving door of violent criminals constantly released back onto the streets of Austin is exactly why we have seen violent crime increase," Austin Police Association President Michael Bullock told Fox News Digital.
"The District Attorney, County Attorney, and Judges here have clearly demonstrated they are not interested in looking after the safety of Austinites nor working with law enforcement. All they are interested in is their own political agenda. We've seen criminals released on bond who, while free, kill someone. The real question is when will enough be enough?", Bullock told the network.
The report noted that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott was pushing for bail reform legislation in Texas. The reform package recently passed the Senate Criminal Justice Committee 6-0. In a post on X Abbott decried "leftist" judges, however, changing the law that governs bail has been an issue in Texas for years.
In 2021, Abbott held a roundtable discussion that included talk of initiatives to address the "broken bail system," according to Crimestoppers Houston. The organization said then that it fully-supported Abbott's attempts to change the system. At the time, however, The Texas Tribune noted that Abbott's attempts to reform the Texas bail system faced an uphill battle, writing that "Multiple federal courts have found Texas' cash bail practices discriminatory against poor people."
