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Breaking bond
FOX 26's Randy Wallace takes a look as people are dying at the hands of others who were out on bond or PR bond.
HOUSTON - "We are in the midst of a Harris County bond pandemic and people are paying with their lives," said Andy Kahan with Crime Stoppers.
One of the most recent to lose their life is 23-year-old Carlos Hernandez.
"We don't have our brother here I just want justice for my brother," said Carlos' sister Yna Hernandez.
Last August 23, Hernandez turned 23.
On October 1, he was murdered. Police say at the hands of Demerrian Samuels and Colby Spears.
"He begged them a lot of times for his life and they still killed him," said Carlos' sister.
"One of the defendants, Samuels, was on a PR bond then gets charged with a felony bond, then gets charged with another felony bond," said Kahan. "You had ample opportunity to say this bond thing just isn't working dude."
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Hernandez is the 68th person to die in about a year and a half period at the hands of someone who committed new crimes while free from jail on multiple felony or PR bonds.
"Of that 68, 41 happened this year and we've still got another six weeks left," Kahan said.
"The fact that we've got felons out on a combination of low dollar bonds and we've had five dozen murders allegedly from this, it's just got to stop," said State Senator Paul Bettencourt.
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Bettencourt said when the legislative session begins early next year, he will be working on new laws to prevent judges from letting people freed from jail on bond who commit new crimes to do nothing more than release them on even more bonds.
"The fact that you're being let out on bond is effectively a gift from the state, so don't abuse it," Bettencourt said. "But that logic doesn't seem to work on people who have serial records."