A capital murder defendant accused of killing a Harris County Sheriff's deputy, who made national headlines last year when he posted a $1 million bond, is back behind bars. The reversal returns to custody a man whose release had drawn sharp criticism, and reopens a case that has become a flashpoint in the debate over bond decisions in Houston.
The defendant is Dromone Francis, who became the first known defendant charged with killing a police officer to be given a bond in Harris County. That distinction thrust the case into the national spotlight when he was granted release, drawing attention to how the courts handle even the most serious allegations against those accused of killing law enforcement officers.
Francis and his co-defendant, 46-year-old Ronald Keith Palmer, are charged with capital murder in the slaying of Harris County Sheriff's deputy Fernando Esqueda. The killing set in motion a prosecution that has moved slowly through the courts, with the two men accused together in the death of the deputy.
The decision to grant Francis bond fell to 248th criminal court judge Hillary Unger, who faced blowback after setting the amount at $1 million. Francis made bond and walked out of jail in February of last year, a release that critics seized on as evidence that the system had gone too far in extending bail to a capital murder defendant.
According to court documents, his time out of custody has now ended. Francis was returned to jail after his bond was revoked because he failed a drug test. Observers noted how unusual the outcome was, pointing out that defendants have often kept their bond even after being charged with or convicted of new offenses while out, making a revocation over a failed drug test a striking exception.
His co-defendant has remained in custody throughout. Ronald Keith Palmer has been behind bars all this time, with his bond set at $3 million, an amount he has been unable to post. The contrast between the two men, one briefly free on a $1 million bond and the other held on a far higher figure, has underscored the stakes of the bail decisions in the case.
With Francis back in jail, the district attorney's office wants him to remain held with no bond, and a hearing will be held in Judge Unger's court sometime next month to decide the question. No trial dates have been set for Francis and Palmer, leaving the case, and the future of the man once freed on bond, to be resolved in the months ahead.