Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Murderer Released on Bond, Kills 23-year-old Summer Chester

Episode Date: February 3, 2022

Summer Chester died in January this year, in a hit-and-run car accident. The other driver, Jonathan Vera, ran a traffic signal. He is now charged with manslaughter in this case, but Vera is also facing other charges. Vera was arrested on capital murder charges after a deadly home invasion. He spent two years in jail, held on $250,000 bond. In March of last year, 351st Criminal District Court Judge Natalia Cornelio lowered Vera's bond, to $50,000. The next day Vera walked out of jail.Joining Nancy Grace Today: Doug Burns - Former Federal Prosecutor (New York City) "Appears Frequently on TV and Radio to Discuss Pressing Legal Issues", LinkedIn: "Douglas T. Burns, Esq." Dr. Jorey Krawczyn - Psychologist, Faculty Saint Leo University; Consultant Blue Wall Institute, Author: Operation S.O.S. Chris Byers - Former Police Chief Johns Creek Georgia, 25 years as Police Officer, Private Investigator and Polygraph Examiner, www.chrisbyersinvestigationsandpolygraph.com Dr. Kendall Crowns – Chief Medical Examiner Tarrant County (Ft Worth), Lecturer: University of Texas and Texas A&M, Affiliated Faculty: University of Texas Medical Branch Alexis Tereszcuk - CrimeOnline.com Investigative Reporter, Writer/Fact Checker, Lead Stories dot Com, Twitter: @swimmie2009 Andy Kahan - Director of Victim Services and Advocacy at Crime Stoppers of Houston, crime-stoppers.org, Facebook: "Andy Kahan and Crime Stoppers of Houston", Twitter: @AKahanCrimeSto1, Instagram: AndyVictimAdvocate Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to an iHeart Podcast. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. How does a killer get set free by a judge who should know better only to kill again. And nobody seems to have noticed, but guess what? We have. I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. Thank you for being with us here at Fox Nation and Sirius XM 111. And I am talking to you, Judge Natalia Cornelio. Judge Natalia Cornelio. You're the reason that Summer Chester is dead. Because you let her kill killer out from behind bars after police catch him following

a deadly home invasion they get him behind bars you let him out and guess what it ain't her first trip to the rodeo she's done it before again thank you for being with us here at Fox Station and Sirius XM 111. Take a listen to our friends at KPRC2. I want to show you something right off the bat that we noticed. Take a look at the front door. It is riddled with bullet holes. Police still trying to figure out if the shooting happened outside or inside the home. We know that the man who died, the 55-year-old man, did die inside the home.

A lot of moving parts of this investigation still ongoing. Let's take a look at the video. Police say this happened around 1.50 this morning. Three men came up to this house, forced their way in. There was some sort of altercation or fight. Then shots rang out, and one man was hit in the torso. The other man hit in the leg. Both of those men live at this home. The man who was hit in the leg, in man hit in the leg both of those men live at this

home the man who was hit in the leg in fact police say was on his way to work he is recovering at benton the man hit in the torso the 55 year old man died here at the scene now the three suspects they were able to get away with a cell phone a purse and some cash. We don't know why they wanted those things, but that is what they got away with. A home invasion leaving two men shot, one dead, over a cell phone, a purse, and some cash that was in the purse? A home invasion nearly 2 a.m. in the morning? It seems like a horror movie. But why? Why? Did this judge, she's got a New York University. Okay, I went there. NYU, bachelor's degree. Then she goes to law school at University of Chicago. Great schools. So what went wrong? With me, an all-star panel to figure out what the hay is going on. First of all, former federal prosecutor, high-profile lawyer, often on TV. You can see him practically everywhere.

Douglas Burns, Doug Burns, and it's in his blood. His father was the U.S. Attorney General as well in that jurisdiction. Dr. Jory Croson joining us, faculty, St. Leo University, psychologist, author of Operation SOS, Chris Byers, former police chief, Johns Creek, Georgia, 25 years on the force, now PI and polygrapher at chrisbyersinvestigationsand and Polygraph.com. Dr. Kendall Crowns, the chief medical examiner, Tarrant County. That's in Fort Worth. Lecturer, University of Texas and Texas A&M. He's also at the University of Texas Medical School. I could go on and on about Dr. Kendall Crowns, but Dr. Kendall Crowns,

aren't you tired of seeing all these dead bodies piling up in your office? This went down in Texas, Kendall Crowns, your backyard. With me, a very special guest, longtime colleague, and I consider a friend, Andy Kahn, Director of Victim Services and Advocacy, Crime Stop of houston andy has been fighting the good fight as long as i've known him but first to alexis tereschuk crime online.com investigative reporter alexis i don't get it so this guy home invades murders somebody for a cell phone and a pocketbook. And then this judge, Natalia Cornelio, lets him walk. Then he kills somebody else, Summer Chester. Let's see, Summer's just 23 years old.

Who is this guy, Jonathan Vera? So he was 20 years old, not a teenager, 20 years old, when he and two other men burst into the home of a man named Silvano Cortez. Now, Silvano and his wife were in bed. This is 1.50 in the morning. They had a gentleman who was staying with them. He was leaving the house. He was going to work.

You know, he worked a late or I guess it was an early morning shift. Alexis, I'm sure I've told you about my dad working on the railroad, Norfolk Southern. For the longest time, he did what they call the mobile route because they went through a lot of layoffs. And my dad got, they had one job for him, Alexis, was the mobile route, which means he would drive sometimes three or four hours to get to work wherever they needed him throughout the southeast for that day. One day he might drive an hour to work, the next day four hours, the next day 30 minutes, depending on, and that's the only way he'd keep his job at Norfolk Southern with a wife, who was then a bank teller, and three children. So one night my dad would go to work at 11 p.m.

The next day he might go to work at 3. So I get it. Somebody is up going to work at what was it, 1.50 a.m., Alexis? Yes, 1.50 a.m. Leaves the house, like is walking out the front door to go to work and is ambushed by three men with guns. And so they shove him back in the house. They go in the master bedroom. They grab, and this is where Mr. Cortez and his wife are sleeping in their bed. They hold them at gunpoint. So these two, this couple is, you know, in their pajamas in bed in the middle

of the night and they're being held at gunpoint. And these guys are running around the house, ransacking the house, looking for things and all all all they get is a purse a cell phone and some cash that sounds like they're in your house right now go ahead they don't leave with the stuff and just say bye guys there is a they end up opening fire the people in the home did not have guns they were not shooting to defend themselves these people were just shot by the folks that broke into the home so silvano shot in in bed. And then as the other man is leaving the house, it appears that the three guys outside turn fire back into the house. So they were already gone. Nobody was shooting at them. And they turn back around and shoot at the guy who had been

grieving for work. Take a listen to our cut to this is Randy Wallace, Fox 26. Police say 20-year-old Jonathan Vera and two other men killed Silvano Cortez during a home invasion in the Greenspoint area. Held the homeowner and his wife at gunpoint, ransacked the home, and then ended up killing a 55-year-old homeowner and then shooting another person while they were fleeing the scene then 17 year old Jonathan Vera was charged with capital murder his bond was set at two hundred and fifty thousand dollars he was actually in Harris County Jail for at least two plus years and while he was in County Jail he also was charged with another felony by harassment of a public servant. 351st Criminal District Court Judge Natalia Cornelio lowered Vera's bond. 351st District Court, I mean, lowered it to what I've never seen in my career, $50,000 for capital murder.

Wow. Okay. When you hear $50,000 is the bond to you, former federal prosecutor, high profile lawyer, Doug Burns, we all know when we hear $50,000 bond, you don't put up 50,000. You don't take a lien on your home. You don't rush to the bank for a 50 grand loan. You put up 10% of that, $5,000. Exactly right. You put up $5,000 with a bail bondsman, paperwork's filled out and you're released. And real quick, $50,000 reduction on a capital offense

is absolutely absurd. And it's horrific what happened. And again, I'm just glad that you're calling this church to account because it's got to stop. No question about it, Nancy. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. You know, Doug, another thing about bail bond, for instance, if you go to any jail, and I don't advise it, I've been in way too many jails, all around the jails crop up bond companies, bonding companies. Because, you know, let's just pretend your son gets a DUI, vehicular homicide. You've never had any contact with the justice system at all.

You got to bond him out. And right by the jail, you see AAA bonding. You walk in, you give them the arrest report, and they can take collateral. For instance, they may take a lien against your home very often to get that five grand you don't even have to put up five grand how does it work doug burns simply put yeah you're making a really great point of course which is that when you go to local courthouses you know in state court for example here in new york you see signs and offices for bonding companies all over the place. They're incentivized, obviously, to do business. And as you say, they take a small percentage because if you want to look at it from a statistical point of view, you know, generally

those who flee, you know, are in the minority. But this case, by the way, real quick, is not about risk of flight. This is about danger to the community. That's a very important point. You keep people detained pretrial for two reasons. One, because they may not reappear in court, but two, 10 times more importantly in a violent crime case, Nancy, so they don't hurt somebody else, obviously. Exactly, Doug Burns. Exactly. You're preaching to the choir right now, Burns, as you well know. And I want to talk, Andy Kahn joining me, my longtime colleague fighting for victims' rights. Andy, I want to hear about the murder in the first case, the case where Silvano Cortez is shot dead in his own bed, lying there with his wife asleep. Now, this is before the same guy gets out and kills Summer Chester.

Thanks to Natalie Cornelio, the judge. Tell me about the death of the first victim. Nancy, this was a brutal, horrific death. This is a home invasion that you see on the news where they kick in the doors at 145 in the morning and you got a homeowner, 55 years old, sleeping with his wife and they held him at gunpoint and then they shoot and kill him and then they shoot another guy that was just simply trying to go to work he was actually vera was on the land they didn't actually arrest him and his two accomplices until almost a year later so he's taken into custody. He's charged with capital murder,

the most egregious offense that you can charge anyone. It is the only offense in which a judge actually can have a no bond. That didn't happen in this case. The judge sets a $250,000 bond. From our perspective, it's pretty low ball for capital murder, but obviously it was good enough to keep Vera in jail for two years. And then inexplicably all of a sudden, I mean, you lowered the bond. Not only do you lower the bond to a low ball, 50,000, he's actually charged with another felony while he's in custody. Oh, oh, oh, Andy Khan, please tell everybody what this guy

did behind bars. Jonathan Vera, he's already home invaded, shot one guy dead in his sleep. Now he's behind bars after a year walking free bragging. What did he do behind bars? So he, one of the officers evidently approached him and he chucked basically, he chucked his saliva at him.

And so he's charged with harassment of a public servant. He spit on the jailkeeper. Yep. 99 pages of jail infractions documented. And this is the person you deem to be a good risk will you say that again andy khan 99 pages please say that again 99 documented pages of infractions while in custody and yet this judge deemed this person to be a good risk to lower from 250000 to an unheard of $50,000 per capital murder. Guys, I want you to take a listen to our cut three, our friend Randy Wallace at Fox 26 Houston.

That is insane. That is a, two years ago, that would have been an aggravated assault bond. One day after Cornelio lowered Vera's bond, he walked out of jail. Just last week, police say Vera took another life and is now charged with manslaughter and the death of Summer Chester. The reduction of his bond from 250 to 50 led to the result of killing Summer Chester. The judge should be held accountable. Right now, they have absolute immunity. They can do whatever they want because they know no one's going to hold them accountable. You know who you're hearing speaking, reporter Randy Wallace, Fox 26,

but you're also hearing Doug Griffith, the president of the Houston Police Officers Union, and of course, our friend Andy Kahn at Crime Stoppers. So he gets out thanks to the, and then kills somebody else. I want to go now to our special guest, Dr. Kendall Crowns, Chief Medical Examiner of Fort Worth. Dr. Kendall Crowns, shot in your sleep, shot lying in your own bed with your wife.

How long does it take before a victim bleeds out dead? I mean, I wonder if this guy in the middle of the night realizes he's dying right then and there. Well, of course, it's going to depend on where you get hit. But if you're not hit in the head and involving your brainstem, which could kill you instantly, let's say you get hit in the chest, even if it's hitting your heart, you're going to have at least several seconds where you can feel the pain and bleeding. And then you realize you're dying and you're going to be able to cry out. Also, if you get hit in your lungs, you're going to be bleeding into your chest cavity, breathing into your airways. You're

going to be gasping and coughing up blood and also be able to realize that you're dying. So just depending on where you get hit, it can be instantaneous or it can take a matter of minutes. Dr. Kendall-Crowns, has there ever been a point in your life where you thought you were actually dying? Yes, a couple of times. My brother held me under water until I had to inhale water, and I thought I was going to drown. It wasn't a pleasant experience. That was when you were a kid, a child, a teen? Yes, correct.

I've had a couple of times. One was when I was out with my investigator, Ernest, and we were in one of the worst areas, the most crime-ridden area of Atlanta, a housing project, and I was trying to serve a subpoena on a guy. It was about noon, a little before noon, and we went up to a door and I was directly in front of the door, and my investigator was standing to my right, and the sun was bright. So inside that apartment, it was dark, and they had a screen door over,

you know, the front door. So I couldn't see in through that. It was a rusted screen door. And the first thing I saw was the barrel of a long gun pointed right at my face. And my investigator shoved me to my left. I felt, I went flying off the porch down about, I don't know, three feet into a bunch of shrubs. And we immediately, he immediately grabbed the guy. And just so you know, the subpoena was served. Long story short, in that split second, I guess I thought, I'm going to get shot. I didn't have time to really think about it. There was another time, Dr. Kendall Crowns, at one of my son's early, early soccer or baseball. I just raced across town, literally raced from work to get there for the game. And my chest hurt so bad I had to lay on the ground in my dress-up clothes because I couldn't sit up.

I thought, well, I'm having a heart attack. I'm going to die right here in the dirt. My point is, Dr. Kendall Crowns, I wonder if the victim, Silvana Cortez, was aware his wife was right beside him screaming or crying, if he knew what was going on around him, if there were children in the home screaming and crying. I mean, how long does it take you to die if you're not shot in the head? Again, it can take several minutes. So he would be aware of what's going on around him, hearing his family screaming, you know, realizing he's probably going to die. So it is, I'm sure, not a pleasant experience.

And then Dr. Jory Croson, psychologist, faculty, St. Leo University, and author. His family, for the rest of their lives, if they stay in that home, every time they walk through that room, that's where Dad died. That's where my husband died. Yeah, it's going to be very traumatic, very traumatic. I mean, like we know the day every year, August the 6th. I think, well, this day sucks because this is the day my fiancé was murdered or this is the day my dad passed away.

But they have to walk through the room every day or look at the front door that was kicked in. I mean, how do you get past that, Jory? A lot of families actually move because the memory is that was kicked in. I mean, how do you get past that, Jory? A lot of families actually move because the memory is so intense that they've got to get out of there because it's a reoccurring trauma to them.

I mean, everything in that house is going to remind them of that incident and that death. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. You know, Chris Byers joining me, I'm just struck by the dichotomy of the peaceful sleeping in the home about 2 a.m. and the eruption of a gunfire, somebody kicking the door in. But Chris, you're the former police chief, over 25 years now PI. What did the judge think this guy's going to do when he gets out? As Andy Khan just told us, after murdering someone asleep in their own bed for a purse and a cell phone,

what did she, Judge Natalia Cornelio, think that the defendant, Jonathan Vera, was going to do when she let him walk? Ninety-nine infractions behind bars alone. Yeah, absolutely. And one thing about a home invasion, your home is where you feel safe. It's where, you know, your family is and you feel like you're secure from everything. And to come into somebody's home at that time of the night to be shot there. I mean, it just shows just to me a special kind of evil. And to be definitely not what we would hear is the model prisoner, model inmate with 99 infractions.

And believe me, if somebody has been during arrest and spit in their face probably two dozen times. That's not a pleasant experience either. Did you ever get spit on, Chris? Yeah, at least two dozen times during my 25 years here. I didn't get spit on in all the years I was a prosecutor or a fed, but can I tell you how many, I don't even know how many times my car got the windows broken in or the tires slit while I was at the courthouse trying a case. During one murder trial, somebody stole my cell phone out of the courtroom where it was charging.

But I had my car broken into, not to take anything, just to vandalize me for trying the case. And so many times I memorized, I had memorized the number for, I think it was Dr. Glass. And my tire slit so many times, I had memorized the name of somebody to come help me change the tire in the middle of the night if I needed help. You know, that's when I got AAA. Then, when I was a prosecutor, because I have a tire slit so many times, didn't ever get spit on. But I remember I'd come out of the courtroom after a long day ago, all the way to where my car was parked for cheap, like eight blocks away, and the window would be broken in.

I'm like, on top of everything else, that, much less getting spit on. I mean, Jory Croson, you're the shrink. That is like the ultimate insult. I remember a defendant spat on a rape victim. Now I'm glad he did because they got his DNA

that way. But that said, that's like the ultimate F you. Yeah, that's an invasion of your person. And this judge let this guy out, Jory?

The sense of vulnerability that they can basically hurt you. They can touch you like that. Okay. He gets out thanks to Judge Cornelio. I mean, why is she on the bench in Texas, Andy Khan? She went to NYU and University of Chicago. What is she doing on a Texas bench? What does she know about Texas? You know, Nancy, we've had a complete makeover of all our judges in Harris County. So this particular judge was actually a policy analyst for a county commissioner. Policy analyst?

And she was instrumental in our bail reform statute that changed everything in Harris County. You mean no bail? I mean, like letting everybody out like a revolving door, that reform? Pretty much. The revolving door at the courthouse. She was one of the architects. Hey, you left something out, Andy. And no offense to the public defender's office.

Everybody whines when they get the public defender for free. Those people try a lot of cases, but she was a federal public defender. So that's where she's coming from. She identifies. She actually has the most individuals out on bond of any felony district court judge in Harris County. And this is not her first dog and pony show that we've had to go on national news to talk about. So this is just par for the course. It's not an anomaly.

How on earth do you justify reducing someone charged with an egregious capital murder, shooting a homeowner during a home invasion, killing them, getting charged with another felony in jail, 99 pages of infractions. What on earth makes you think this person is a good risk to be released to the public? And now you've got another young girl that paid the price for that decision. It defies logic. Speaking of this young girl, 23-year-old Summer Chester, take a listen to CrimeOnline.com's Dave Mack at 17. Summer Chester has an accomplished life with plans for an accomplished future. The 23-year-old graduates from Lone Star College with an associate's degree of arts. She attends the University of Houston and transfers to Texas Southern University as a senior

majoring in business administration. Chester's ultimate goal is to become an elementary school teacher. Despite her school schedule, Chester also works as a customer service agent at Best Buy. If you ask her family, they'll tell you Chester's biggest accomplishment is life itself. Summer and her friends are on a quest to discover new and different restaurants. She enjoys playing music, dancing, loves animals, and is even known for pulling a practical joke or two. When I think of this young girl, just 23, I pulled up her obit last night,

and she's got a million-dollar smile. She had a million-dollar smile. She had a million-dollar smile before this POS, technical legal term, killed her. Take a listen now to our Cut 18. Summer Chester died in January this year. The 23-year-old died in a hit-and-run car accident caused by Jonathan Vera, who ran a traffic signal. He is now charged with manslaughter in the case. So where is he now, Alexis Tereschuk? Before I get to the 160 other cases like this one Andy Kahn's going to tell me about,

where is he, Jonathan Vera? Has Judge Cornelio let him out again? No, he is actually in jail now. When is he going to trial? And what's he going to go to trial for first? His first murder victim or his second manslaughter victim? I believe he should be charged first for Silvana Cortez's murder, since that was in 2017, and then this one will follow.

Although this is a manslaughter charge and that is a murder charge, so he could have an attorney who comes up with a plea deal for one or the other. Let's talk about Zaccheaus Gaston. To Andy Kahn, Director of Victim Services, Advocacy, Crime Stoppers, who is Layla Steele? Layla Steele was a 24-year-old mother who was involved in a relationship with a defendant, Gaston, and was trying to break it off. Gaston has three prior felony convictions. He was also a registered sex offender. He was out on seven felony bonds by, you guessed it, the 351st District Court judge whom we've all been talking about today.

He was also on an ankle monitor. Listen to this. He was on bond for failure to register as a sex offender, assault with intent to impede breathing, which is trying to strangle someone to death, assault, evading arrest, felon in possession of a weapon, another evading arrest. And now he's charged with the murder of 24-year-old Layla Steele and also shooting one-year-old Zeus as well. As a matter of fact, take a listen to Melissa Correa, KHOU 11, our cut 13. These are the many faces of Zacchaeus Gaston, a 27-year-old whose criminal record is a decade long. The Harris County DA's office describes him as a true habitual offender.

Harris County District Court records show Gaston's currently facing seven different charges for crimes like assault, evading arrest, failing to register as a sex offender, and a felon in possession of a weapon. Prosecutors have repeatedly asked the courts to refuse bail, but even after reviewing public safety assessments and all of the pending felony cases, magistrates continue to set bail. In some cases, records show it's the same magistrate. Then on Thursday.

With the suspect being out on bond for seven major felonies, this could have been prevented. Layla Steele was shot four times while she was carrying her son. Police say baby Zeus was shot once in his leg during an argument between Layla and Zeus' father, Zacchaeus Gaston. Layla died at a hospital. Now listen to our cut 14. Court documents show the steps prosecutors took to try and protect Layla. They asked for a protective order and an ankle monitor that would include geo-fencing to prevent Gaston from going near Layla's apartment.

And even though the court acknowledges Gaston's past and threats he made to Layla, a magistrate still set bail at $30,000. In April, the Harris County D.A. petitioned to have Gaston's bond revoked because he continued to harass Layla. A court decision is still pending. The motion was filed April 5th, nearly three months before Layla Steele was killed. There's no way that that should have slipped where seven felony bonds a person was out and I feel like my sister's blood is on their hands. If you know where Zacchae sister's blood is on their hands. If you know where Zacchaeus Gaston is, call police. He's now facing a murder charge in addition to several other crimes.

Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Andy Kahn, how did he get out? It's the revolving door at the courthouse. This is what I call another victim of the Harris County bond pandemic. 160 people who have been killed by defendants released on multiple felony bonds in the last few years. That's 160 people who were tragically killed, yet it was so utterly preventable because we keep spitting the same people out time and time again. Who is Andy Kahn? Devontae Williams. Devontae, oh my God, this one really, really chapped me. I mean, Devontae Williams is out on multiple felony bonds. He has multiple prior convictions. He's been to prison several times. So there's a police chase because he's

wanted for two aggravated robberies. And during the police chase, a horrific accident. And it cost the life of a mother, 24-year-old mother, Audrey Davis, died in the accident. Now, Williams was out on multiple bonds. Now, get this. He was out on two separate aggravated assault with a deadly weapon bonds. But here's the real rub of why I was so irate with this. His bonds were revoked, as they should be, because it should be one bond per customer. You're out on bond and you get charged with a new case. You shouldn't be back out on bond again. Those days are long over. So the bond was originally at $80,000. The judge reinstates the bond and lowers it from 40 to 10. And then on the other ag assault with a deadly weapon, it gets lowered from 40 to five. I have never seen a bond lowered

after you've already been revoked. That decision cost a 24 year old mother her life. Take a listen to our cut five Fox 26.. 27-year-old Devontae Williams violated his bond for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon by picking up another aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge. His bond was revoked. But get this, instead of reinstating his bond with a higher amount, 337th Criminal District Court Judge Colleen Guido lowered it. Go from 40,000 to 5,000. So he's out now on a 10 and a 5 when he originally had an 80 and a 40. What makes that even more troubling is what a magistrate told the court about Williams' three arrests for aggravated cases.

Quote, it's impossible to craft bond conditions that could reasonably assure community safety due to the randomness of each act. Last Wednesday, Williams led a deputy on a chase that turned deadly. Now you have, you know, you have a deputy sheriff that was in the hospital injured. You have a mother of two dead? I got a question. You know, first to you, Dr. Kendall Crowns, we're talking about all these victims that are killed by perps that are released over and over and over. But these are not just statistics.

They're not just stories. These are real people that end up in your morgue. I mean, do you ever feel like there's no stopping it? Yeah, sometimes it does seem like there's no end in sight. And I always find it interesting when individuals who obviously have violent tendencies, who are already arrested and put in jail for something and not necessarily convicted of it yet are allowed to be released, especially in these domestic situations, because, you know, these pieces of paper aren't going to protect someone from someone who's

already violent. And it's not like they're going to follow the rules. So I always I always wonder why that's done, because it does increase the amount of debt that comes through the morgue. You know, Chris Byers, former police chief, Johns Creek, now PI and polygrapher. Chris Byers, I remember so many times getting a case to prepare for trial, typically a murder or a rape, and I would open the jacket, which is the file, and at the back of all the police reports and supplementals and crime lab reports and toxicology and all that would be the rap sheet. And it would be a mile long.

Now, for me, it would just make me more angry. But for some people, it's debilitating because you feel overwhelmed. It's like, why bother? Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. I mean, I can't tell you how many times, whether it was when I was on DUI task force or something, I'd stop somebody with like arrest them for DUI and they'd have 10, 12 DUIs on the record. And of course, DUIs is minor compared to what we're talking to.

We're talking about lives here that were, you know, basically when we talk about that one lady that was killed, the guy that had like seven felonies on him, I mean, basically $3,000 is what the price was put on her life. And yeah, I mean, you just see it over and over. It's, you know, 10% of the people that are doing 90 percent of the crime in your communities. And it's very rare that you arrest somebody with for a very violent crime that it's their first time out. There's usually that rap sheet and you wonder how are we even still here on the street talking.

And to you, Doug Burns, former federal prosecutor, when you look at the rap sheets, what do you what are the judges think this guy's going to do when they have all these felonies, 99 pages of jailhouse infractions? What was she, Judge Cornelio, thinking when she let him out that he was going to show up at Sunday school the next morning? No, you heard the context of this. This is a person who has the whole ideological background of, you know, bail reform and so on. And now she's on the bench. What I can bring to the table is in 35 plus years, I've never heard of a situation where somebody's bond is revoked for committing another offense and then boom, it's lowered. I've never heard of that. So obviously, this is an outlier situation. You know, I would normally be reluctant to use the term rogue, but I'll use it unhesitatingly, rogue judge, to make these type of decisions.

It's really disgraceful. And just again, I'm glad you're bringing it to the forefront with this panel. Dr. Jory Crawson, joining me, psychologist, faculty, St. Leo University, consultant with the Blue Wall Institute. It's got to be demoralizing for police officers because they put the same people behind bars over and over and over. It's like a joke. Yeah, it is a joke. It's a farce to the criminal justice system.

You know, there are so many safeguards that have been built into the system over the years, and it appears that she's abandoned them. You know, like here in Florida, we have risk assessments that are done on violent offenders and can be offered in bond hearings, you know, so the judge knows what's the chances of them repeating. Well, I mean, I'm glad that you have that there, Dr. Jory. But, I mean, when I look at somebody's rap sheet, I don't need a risk assessment to tell me when they've got 99 infractions behind bars, they've got a rap sheet as long as I-75.

When you don't know a horse, look at his track record. It's really just that simple. Sure, if you want to predict future behavior, look at his track record. It's really just that simple. Sure, if you want to predict future behavior, look at past behavior. Exactly. And all of this past behavior is violent and aggressive and deadly. This is a case that has me very, very upset because it reminds me of my mother. Take a listen to Hour Cut 6. This is Micah Hatfield with KTRK ABC 13. My mom was 80 years old. She was disabled. You know, she shuffled with a cane.

And she's the prototypical grandmother, you know, reading glasses down on her nose, knitting needles by the side of a rocking chair. A mother of three, grandmother of six, Rosalie Cook was three minutes from home at Walgreens at Gessner and South Brayswood Boulevard to buy a card one year ago. As she headed towards her car in the parking lot to go home, Rosalie was stabbed to death by Randy Lewis. The system failed my mom in a number of ways. Lewis was what's often referred to as a career criminal. The 38-year-old had been arrested 67 times and was out on two personal recognizance bonds in Harris County. Court records show he was released from an extended stay at a mental health facility to a group home on May 1st. On May 15th is when Rosalie was killed.

When police responded, officers shot and killed Lewis. I'm going to do something that I was disallowed to do at trial. Rosalie was killed. When police responded, officers shot and killed Lewis. I'm going to do something that I was disallowed to do at trial when I would argue to a jury in closing argument. Think about these cases. Think about 23-year-old Summer Chester, her whole life in front of her. What if that was your daughter? Think about Silvana Cortez. What if that was your husband or your wife lying in bed next to you? And you hear splintering of the door and then gunshots. And then suddenly, your spouse is dead. Just like that. Think about this young mom who goes over and over trying to get protection from an abuser.

And he keeps getting out of jail. And now she's dead. And finally, this grandma, 80 years old, going to Walgreens to buy a card, stabbed dead by a career criminal that some judge let go. Judge Natalia Cornelio, I pray to God you're listening. Goodbye, friend. You're listening to an iHeart podcast