Frank Deleon Jr. (right) shot his ex-girlfriend, Diamond Alvarez, 22 times, prosecutors said. (Image of a memorial for Alvarez: AP Photo/Juan Lozano; mug shot of Deleon: Houston Police Department)
A murder defendant did not show up to court on the first day of his trial in Texas because of a serious accident, his attorney says — but the victim's family doesn't believe it, and thinks the accused killer might be trying to flee.
The loved ones of Diamond Alvarez, 16, aren't taking Frank Deleon Jr.'s purported condition at face value, according to Houston NBC affiliate KPRC.
"Frank Deleon, you can't run forever, man," the victim's aunt, Blanca Mejia, said in a press conference on Monday.
Deleon's attorney told Law&Crime that his client really did experience an accident.
"Frank is ok. He is not running," attorney Joaquin Jimenez said. He did not provide specific details. "There was an incident this morning that will be explained tomorrow morning to Judge Jones."
Multiple reports are calling it a car accident.
Authorities in Harris County claim that the defendant, then 17 and now 19, shot Alvarez, his ex-girlfriend, 22 times after she learned he had cheated on her. He allegedly wanted to make sure she did not reveal the truth to the other girl.
"Don't ruin this for me," he allegedly texted multiple times.
Deleon allegedly lured Alvarez out for a private conversation. The victim agreed only on the condition that they talk at a park near her home while she was walking the family dog. Relatives said, however, that they heard gunshots. Her mother, Anna Machado, tried calling her to no avail, and they found the dog, Peanut, alone.
They also found Alvarez dying in the field.
"My son found her," Machado told local Fox affiliate KTBC in a Jan. 12, 2022, report. "I tried CPR, and I couldn't bring her back. I tried so hard to keep her alive. I couldn't."
Prosecutors have previously said that most of the teenager's wounds were consistent with her being on her back when struck.
According to authorities, two witnesses described seeing someone in the area after the murder. This figure allegedly matched Deleon's description.
Officers found him with a packed suitcase when they arrested him, the state said when seeking bond, highlighting this as evidence he was planning to flee.
As far as Alvarez's family is concerned, the quest for justice stalled with Deleon's failure to appear on Monday. Deleon's attorney reportedly said the defendant got into an accident on the way to court. He sustained a major injury and might need medical care, the attorney said. The judge forfeited the $250,000 bond and put out an arrest warrant.
Mejia isn't buying it.
"It sucks, but we expected something like this to happen," she said in the press conference. "Now we're expecting for him to run. So I'm calling everybody to give us some kind of report. I want pictures. I want hospital bills. I want everything that this man is indeed hurt. I need everybody on it because this is unfair. I'm livid. I'm livid because this is so unfair. Now, they said that we have to wait. Wait how much longer? What's the next step? Is he going to run? If he's not handcuffed to that hospital bed, I want proof. We need proof. It's been two years too long. Two years too long, and he's still free."
