Attorneys for man charged with Aaron Martinez's murder request a reduced bond
FORNEY (CBSNewsTexas.com) – Attorneys for a Forney man charged with his neighbor's murder are requesting a judge reduce his $2 million bond.
A hearing will take place Wednesday morning but before that happens, the victim's family and friends gathered to protest.
As 30-year-old Trevor McEuen sits in the Kaufman County Detention Center, Aaron Martinez's family and friends are demanding he remain there.
"It's not easy putting down my brother, burying him, and then it's not easy facing all this," sister Elisandra Martinez said.
"We're worried for all the family because we don't want him let out and to reduce the bond," father Salvador Martinez said.
Arrest documents show McEuen admitted to murdering Martinez, his neighbor, earlier this month. Officers say Martinez was found near his Forney home, in his truck with multiple gunshot wounds.
Incident reports show Martinez had safety concerns dating back to at least July of last year. That's when he claimed McEuen pointed a gun at him, fired at his property and threatened his employees. He didn't pursue charges. McEuen's father later told police Martinez had also shot guns in their direction.
"That's not true," Salvador Martinez said. "He doesn't like Spanish people around there, especially Mexican, so that's why he, all the time, he tried to rush men with the gun."
Now, McEuen's attorneys are requesting a bond reduction, stating his $2 million bond is excessive, oppressive and beyond McEuen's financial means.
Like the Martinez family, Congressman Joaquin Castro is also calling for hate crime charges.
"Three weeks ago, Aaron Martinez was murdered in cold blood by a man who wanted to drive Hispanics out of Kaufman County. Last fall, two brothers in West Texas gunned down a group of migrants and were never indicted. Texas is becoming a dangerous place for Hispanics because state and local authorities refuse to take our safety seriously," said Castro. "If Kaufman County authorities continue to drag their feet on filing hate crimes charges against Trevor McEuen, federal prosecutors need to step in to ensure that justice is served."
CBS News Texas reached out to McEuen's attorneys for comment and have yet to get a response.
