Global Courant
A Texas man was sentenced Thursday to 35 years in prison for a murder he committed five years ago after removing his ankle bracelet, a condition of probation for a previous crime.
Jordan Isaiha Lopez, 22, shot and killed 19-year-old Austin Balogun on July 5, 2018, during a robbery at Balogun’s home in Cypress, Texas, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office said in a release.
“We already have rampant gun crime, and the situation gets worse when criminals can simply remove the anklets they are supposed to wear as a condition of bonding,” Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said in a statement Saturday. “It is a tragedy that a young man lost his life to someone who took advantage of the system to commit murder while out on bail.”
Lopez held Balogun at gunpoint after he and another suspect tied him up in his bedroom.
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Jordan Isaiha Lopez, 22, was sentenced to 35 years in prison on Thursday for fatally shooting a man in 2018 during a robbery after removing his ankle bracelet. (Harris County District Attorney)
Balogun managed to get hold of a gun and shot Lopez in the hand.
Lopez then fatally shot Balogun and fled.
Lopez’s ankle bracelet had been a condition of his bond following an attempted burglary six months earlier.
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Lopez’s attorney, Sam Cammack, said he felt the sentence was too long.
“He was a 17-year-old boy who was influenced by his brother and I do believe he was defending himself,” Cammack said after sentencing, according to the Dallas Morning News. “They found him guilty of murder, so he deserved something, but 35 years is a lot of time for a boy who was 17 when he did it.”
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He was convicted by District Judge Denise Collins after being convicted by a jury.
Prosecutor Chris Condon added: “We appreciate that the jury and judge heard all the facts in this case and helped us get this man off the street. We were honored to work with the victim’s mother. work to get justice for her and her son.”
