The man accused of kidnapping and killing his ex-girlfriend appeared before a judge for the first time Thursday.
Daniel Chacon, 30, has been charged with capital murder, accused in the shooting death of Maira Gutierrez.
A judge set bond at $5,000,000 after prosecutors argued Chacon remained a flight risk after fleeing the country to Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico.
“He’s a dangerous man who’s an extreme flight risk,” said Stephany Abner, the prosecutor in the case.
Pasadena police said Chacon surrendered Oct. 6 at the Laredo Port of Entry.
His court-appointed attorney maintained his client’s innocence, while calling the bond amount, “very high.”
“My client, the defendant is not guilty. We’re not going to try this case in the media. We will wait until this investigation is over,” said Emmanuel Nwuli, Chacon’s defense attorney.
Police said they received reports that the suspect forced the mother of four into the vehicle in the 3800 block of Red Bluff in Pasadena. The SUV was reportedly located on Cedar Crest near Sunnycrest, with Gutierrez dead from a gunshot wound inside.
Chacon and Gutierrez have a 5-month-old daughter together.
A check of Chacon’s criminal history in Harris County shows he was previously charged with assault on a family member once in 2017 and twice in 2012, and violating a protection order, among others. None of these cases involve Gutierrez.
“I cited the defendant’s extensive criminal history, specifically domestic violence history that dates back to 2012,” Abner said, in response to Chacon’s bond amount.