Texans are outraged after a “rogue” judge set bond for a capital murder suspect who is accused of killing a Houston-area deputy just one day after his co-defendant, another capital murder suspect, was released on bail.
Former Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg slammed Judge Hilary Unger during “Fox & Friends” for providing a pathway for release for suspect Ronnie Palmer, who was charged in connection with the death of Deputy Fernando Esqueda in July 2024.
“Our judges, unfortunately, in Harris County, have shown a pattern of releasing repeat violent offenders among us,” Ogg told Lawrence Jones on Friday.
“Right now, there are more than 830 fugitives or individuals on bond for capital murder or murder, but LJ, none for the murder of a police officer. This is a first for us.”
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Unger set Palmer’s bond at $3 million on Thursday, according to a court document shared by the Harris County Deputies’ Organization (HCDO). Palmer has been in jail since July with no bond on that charge until now.
He is also facing two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in Esqueda’s death. Bond for those charges is set at $50,000 each.
Though Palmer remains in jail as of Thursday, he now has the opportunity to post bail and return to the streets.
This comes on the heels of the release of the other suspect in Esqueda’s murder, Dremone Francis, who was released to house arrest after he posted the $1 million bond set in November 2024.
In addition to his capital murder charge, Francis had previously been convicted of manufacturing and delivering drugs. He also had his probation “unsatisfactorily terminated” in 2022.
Unger, whose duty is to set bonds in cases like these, should have set the amount higher to avoid compromising public safety, Ogg argued.
“Unfortunately, Judge Hilary Unger is a rogue judge and notorious for releasing repeat offenders who go out and kill other members of our community,” she said.
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Following blowback from the community, a defense attorney told FOX 26 Houston on Thursday that Unger was not involved in setting bond for Francis, despite the Houston Police Officers’ Union and the HCDO saying that she was.
“They made it very difficult for the judge because she is not the one who had set the bond,” said Cheryl Irvin. “The bond was set and nobody objected to it from the district attorney’s office from the previous administration.”
Local outlets reported that the State of Texas filed for a proof-evident hearing when Francis was arrested in July 2024, which would’ve made no bond an option. That hearing was supposed to happen within 10 days, but since it didn’t, Francis became eligible for bond and his attorney requested it be set. It’s not clear why the state did not proceed with the hearing.
Regardless, Houston Police Officers’ Union President Douglas Griffith insisted Unger could have taken additional measures to keep the community safe.
“He had multiple bonds. He’s out of a lengthy criminal history. She could have held him. There is no forced mechanism to not hold him in jail. It’s completely up to her,” he said during “Fox & Friends First,” arguing the judge has had a history of releasing violent offenders on bond.
“When these guys don’t come to court because it’s a capital murder case, then we’re going to be forced to go out there and get them again, and then they can gun down another officer,” he continued. “There were 42 rounds fired at Deputy Esqueda. These are violent offenders. We are going to see them again in the headlines of the news, and it’s all going to be on this judge’s back.”
Unger, who is up for re-election in 2026, campaigned previously on prioritizing “alternatives to incarceration with an eye towards rehabilitation, a reduction in recidivism, and an increase in community safety,” according to her campaign website.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office and the 248th District Court for comment.
Fox News’ Elizabeth Pritchett contributed to this report.
