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Man Charged With Murder Released on Bond 1/25/12
Man Charged With Murder Released on Bond 1/25/12
CBS 7 Reporter
smurray@cbs7.com
January 25, 2012
Fort Stockton, TX - A man charged with murder in Fort Stockton is back at home tonight after the county decided to lower his bond.
Now the victim's family members are outraged that he's been allowed to go free.
44 year old Saul Silvas is charged with the murder of 22 year old Brittany Lanay Cartwright, after Fort Stockton police say he stabbed his girlfriend to death on January 8th .
He was being held on a $500,000 bond but the county lowered it to $75,000 because they claim inmates were assaulting him on a regular basis and they feared for his safety.
"She left kids behind, 3 babies. She loved her babies...it's not right. He should pay for what he’s done. He murdered her," claims Brittany’s Aunt Patsy Cartwright.
But Saul Silvas isn't behind bars anymore. Instead he's at home on supervised release after the county decided to lower his bond.
"There's always reluctance on the part of the judge and a lot of reluctance on my part to agree to a bond reduction," explains Pecos County District Attorney Jesse Gonzales.
Despite his reluctance, Gonzales says Silvas was being beaten at every turn in jail and they made the decision to ensure that he makes it to trial.
"That’s the bottom line, the goal is that he receives a proper punishment for what he’s done," Gonzales says.
Still family members struggle to understand the reasoning.
"How could he actually get out for murdering my daughter? He's walking free and she can't walk," says Brittany’s mother Sarah Cartwright through tears.
"That’s not our problem that he got beat up in jail," Patsy says. "Brittany was a human being, she had feelings and she has children. She has a family, so he has to pay for what he's done. The preacher says the devil took her. Well, the devil's out."
Gonzales says they hope to take the case before the grand jury next month.
Silvas must follow strict guidelines while on release.
He is required to report weekly to the adult probation department.
Also, he is not allowed to leave Pecos County without advanced permission.
He must adhere to weekly drug and alcohol tests and wear a monitoring device on his ankle.
Another rule is that he cannot have any contact with members of the victim’s family.
He has a daily curfew of 6 pm to 6 am.