HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A $1 million bond was set for the man accused of killing a child over a doorbell prank in Houston’s east side over the weekend.
Gonzalo Leon Jr. appeared in court on Wednesday, accused of murdering 11-year-old Julian Guzman on Saturday night near Fidelity and Racine.
Court documents show that Guzman, his cousin, and some other friends were at a relative’s house attending a birthday party, got bored, and decided to play a game of “ding dong ditch” around the neighborhood.
Guzman and his cousin were ringing doorbells of homes in the area and running away, records state. A witness said Guzman had run to Leon’s home, rang the doorbell several times, and began to run away.
Officials said that’s when Leon ran out with a gun and opened fire, hitting Guzman.
The Houston Police Department said Leon was charged on Monday and arrested early Tuesday.
SEE PREVIOUS REPORT: Man charged with murder in shooting of 11-year-old playing ‘ding-dong ditch’ in E. Houston: HPD
Police said Gonzalo Leon Jr. was arrested Tuesday after an investigation identified him as the suspect who shot and killed an 11-year-old playing “ding-dong ditch” over the weekend.
ABC13 spoke with Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare about the case, and he said that the fact that an 11-year-old lost his life over a prank shows that it’s a different world now.
“This is not the same world that most of us grew up in,” he said. “I certainly did it, but this is a different conversation, and it’s a conversation as a community that we have to have.”
Prosecutors in court on Wednesday said the arrest happened at a La Quinta in La Porte, where they said Leon was in possession of a lot of clothes.
“Police reported that he had a large amount of clothes with him. This location is approximately 20 miles from the home, as the court can imagine, there’s plenty of places he could have stayed otherwise,” assistant district attorney John Brewer said.
They said they took that as reason to believe he could flee, but his defense lawyer said he was not and was actually trying to avoid media attention around his home.
“He didn’t leave counties. He literally moved within a few miles of where he’s registered to attend college,” defense attorney Gianpaolo Macerola said. “The allegations that we can infer that he was trying to leave — if he wanted to leave, he was not arrested that night. He could have left.”
The judge ultimately gave the state what they wanted, which was a $1,000,000 bond.
“When you have a case as tragic as this one, and quite frankly, as brutal, and you have an 11-year-old shot in the back and murdered, I think it’s an appropriate bond,” Teare said. “Firearms, and the use of firearms, is not the answer, whether you’re on the freeway getting cut off, or you’re in your own neighborhood, angry at a group of kids, you can’t utilize a gun.”
If Leon meets bond, he will be confined to house arrest and have to wear an ankle monitor, according to the judge.
Meanwhile, the number of candles, flowers, balloons, and more continues to grow in honor of Guzman.
People who live nearby are paying tribute to the young boy, whose life was cut short.
“By knocking on doors, it’s a prank for them. They didn’t know somebody was going to come out and shoot them. It’s just sad,” said Debra Blake, who visited the growing memorial.
“Ask God to help you to pull through this, and may god bless you. I never met you, but I love you,” Willis Lee Atkin said.
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