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Breaking Bond: 2 babies motherless after judge allowed repeat offender to remain free on multiple bonds
FOX 26 Reporter Randy Wallace explains as one judge allowed a repeat offender to remain free on multiple felony bonds. Now, two children are without their mother.
HOUSTON - In our last Breaking Bond report, we told you about six criminal district court judges. They all allowed 6 defendants in their courts to remain free on multiple felony or personal recognizance bonds until they allegedly killed someone.
182nd Criminal District Court Judge Danny Lacayo has eight defendants now charged with taking a life while free on multiple bonds.
One of them is 41-year-old Johnny Zemeno.
"When it hits home, it’s an unbearable pain," said Alicia Perez mother of 30-year-old Dalisha Blate.
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Blate will never see her 6-month-old daughter or 18-month-old son grow up.
Perez blames two people, Zemeno and Judge Danny Lacayo.
"She’d be here taking care of her children like I wanted her to raise her own children," Perez said.
In December of 2019, the 182nd gave Zemeno a PR bond for allegedly assaulting Dalisha.
"So he’s out on a PR bond and he gets charged with two felonies, continuous violence against a family member, and violating the protective order against the same family member he was originally given a PR bond for," said Andy Kahan with Crime Stoppers.
Court documents make one thing clear.
"Johnny Zermeno was hell bent on doing something really bad to Dalisha Blate," Kahan said.
Two weeks ago, Zemeno shot Dalisha to death claiming it was an accident.
"It’s highly unlikely because he had already threatened her with a gun," her mother said.
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FOX 26 has repeatedly offered these judges an opportunity to comment, but they’ve yet to do so.
This grieving mother questions why these judges keep freeing repeat violent offenders from jail.
"For what, to destroy someone else’s life, destroy someone else’s heart," said Perez. "How could someone be so heartless and not care about human life."