Southwest
Texas teen charged with murder released after bond reduced from $800K to $100 per charge: 'This is outrageous'
A Texas teen accused of murder was released from police custody after his bond was drastically reduced from $800,000 to $100 per charge.
Stephon Martin Morson, 19, was released from the Travis County Jail in Austin, Texas, on Saturday after he posted bail.
Morson is accused in the shooting death of 20-year-old Keshawn Cage, who police found with a gunshot wound to the head back in October.
The Travis County Jail told Fox News Digital that Morson was booked on Nov. 6, 2024, and charged with murder and tamper/fabricate physical evidence.
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Stephon Martin Morson, 19, of Austin, Texas, is charged with murder, but out of jail after his bond was reduced from $800,000 to $100 per charge. (Travis County Jail)
His bond was originally set at $800,000, but it was recently dropped to $100 for each charge, for a total of $200, with the conditions that Morson wear a GPS monitor, remain under house arrest and not contact the family of the victim or potential witnesses, CBS Austin first reported.
Austin Police Association President Michael Bullock told Fox News Digital that Morson’s punishment was “not enough.”
“For a man accused of murder to have his bond reduced so low that he’s able to walk free is a slap in the face to Austinites who could potentially become the next victim. The revolving door of violent criminals constantly released back onto the streets of Austin is exactly why we have seen violent crime increase,” Bullock said.
He added: “The District Attorney, County Attorney, and Judges here have clearly demonstrated they are not interested in looking after the safety of Austinites nor working with law enforcement. All they are interested in is their own political agenda. We’ve seen criminals released on bond who, while free, kill someone. The real question is when will enough be enough?”
Bullock said this is not the first time Travis County judges and magistrates have drastically reduced bond for a person accused of murder or sexual assault.
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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott described the reduction of Morson’s bond and his subsequent release as “outrageous.” (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
“This is not exclusive to just one judge. This has happened across multiple different courts,” Bullock said. “We’ve had some where they may not reoffend, but then we’ve had others who do reoffend. People that get out on bond and they murder someone else when they’re already accused of a violent crime.”
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott also commented on Morson’s release and called the move “outrageous.”
“This is outrageous. It’s why I made bail reform an Emergency Item,” Abbott wrote in a post on X.
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Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick also backed Abbott and said he is ready to play “hardball” to keep violent offenders from being released on bail during a special session last week to pass a bail reform package.
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick advocated for a bail reform package currently in the state legislature and said violent offenders cannot be released from jail on bond. (REUTERS/David ‘Dee’ Delgado)
On Wednesday, the bills cleared the first of many obstacles to becoming law. The Senate Criminal Justice Committee passed the bail reform package by a vote of 6-0.
“I’m grateful that Gov. Abbott declared bail reform an emergency item for the current legislative session. Too many innocent people, both citizens and law enforcement officers, have become targets of criminals due to irresponsible bail amounts that allow violent criminals to go free,” Bullock said. “We are a nation of law and order, but activist judges and prosecutors that are interested in their own agenda rather than the law are eroding that principle.”
Crime victims’ advocates in Texas have been trying to get tougher bail legislation on the books for years, especially in certain cases involving egregious crimes. In years past, many criminal offenders in Harris County were released on low bond or no bond at all, with some going on to reoffend, sometimes violently, according to Rania Mankarious, the CEO of Crime Stoppers of Houston.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Travis County District Attorney’s Office but did not immediately receive a response.
Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com
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Jurors deliberating the fate of the man accused of starting the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in California’s history, failed to reach a verdict Thursday afternoon, telling the judge they were deadlocked.
A spokesperson from the United States Attorney’s Office told KTLA that jurors will continue to deliberate until they reach a verdict or give up.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, a former Uber driver and one-time Pacific Palisades resident, is accused of starting the Lachman Fire on New Year’s Eve. The fire continued to smolder underground for about a week, even after Los Angeles firefighters believed it had been extinguished.
Flames reignited on Jan. 7, erupting into the deadly Palisades Fire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes in the upscale community, authorities said.
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A courtroom sketch of Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, during his initial court appearance on Oct. 23, 2025. (Bill Robles) -
The U.S. Dept. of Justice booking photo of Jonathan Rinderknecht over the Palisades Fire devastation in Malibu, California in January 2025 (AP).
Prosecutors argued that Rinderknecht deliberately set the fire, claiming he had grown increasingly resentful of wealthy residents and viewed Pacific Palisades as a symbol of that frustration.
“Their case, though circumstantial, is strong,” KTLA legal analyst Alison Triessl said. “The defense is relying on, can they (prosecutors) show beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Rinderknecht actually started this fire and it wasn’t the result of fireworks or some intervening cause.”
The defense argued there is no direct physical evidence tying Rinderknecht to the fire and said the prosecution’s case relies entirely on circumstantial evidence. Rinderknecht did not testify during the trial.
Defense attorney Steve Haney spoke outside the courthouse Wednesday about why he believes it will be difficult for prosecutors to prove how the fire started.
“The lack of scene preservation. The fact that they got there after a lot of the evidence was missing. Not a lot of direct evidence. This is a circumstantial case, which is always difficult as a prosecutor to prove,” Haney said.
Rinderknecht, who was arrested and indicted last October, faces up to 45 years in prison if found guilty of three arson counts, including destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire.
Tony Kurzweil contributed to this report
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