The family of a slain teenager has expressed frustration over a judge’s decision to let the suspected killer out of jail on a bond lower than his own attorney requested.
Jesus Monroy, 20, was released by Gwinnett County Judge Karen Beyers on Thursday August 29, after she approved a bond of $56,000. Monroy is accused of murdering Mia Campos, 16, who was pregnant at the time of her death. Her father Edward has publicly decried the judge’s decision.
The young man is believed to be the father of the child Campos carried when she died as well as the victim’s ex-boyfriend. Over a month after he was charged with murder, Monroy is now out of jail on bond.
On July 14, the victim left her family’s home after telling them she was going to meet with the father of her child—who was a boy and had been given the name Sebastian. But her father discovered her dead body hours later, thrown in the woods.
Speaking to local news after Monroy was released on bond, the girl’s father described the case as “getting worse and worse,” lamenting that Mia’s room is “just an empty box.” He also noted that, had she lived, she would have been giving birth to her baby next week.
Initially, it seemed that justice would be speedily served, as police arrested Monroy on four felony charges. However, Campos said “everything” fell apart after the defense attorney spoke at the bond hearing. The suspect’s lawyer argued that his client was not a threat considering that evidence against the young man was circumstantial.
The attorney requested a bond of $75,000, but Beyers suggested $50,000. The agreed upon amount was $56,000. The decision is rare for murder cases, as defendants are often not allowed to post bail due to fear of flight risk.
Campos also grieved how the suspected murderer’s family “can see” and “talk to him” while he and his family “can’t do that” with his dead daughter and grandson.
