HOUSTON – The family of the 16-year-old who was shot 22 times back in 2022 spoke Thursday afternoon saying they were unable to attend the formal sentencing of the man who murdered their loved one “out of fear of retaliation.”
“We didn’t show up because the family has been getting threatened, and to avoid any other conflict, we didn’t go. We just want to move forward,” Diamond Alvarez’s aunt said during a Thursday news conference.
Frank Deleon Jr., 19, was set to begin trial for murdering his girlfriend Diamond on Monday, but he allegedly got into a car accident while on his way to court and had to go to the hospital due to his injuries, which caused him to miss court.
The judge presiding over the trial issued a warrant for Deleon’s arrest, and he was later taken into custody while being treated at Ben Taub Hospital.
On Tuesday, the judge ordered an immediate hearing to decide if Deleon’s bond would be reinstated or if he would have remained in jail for the duration of the trial.
During the hearing, Deleon’s lawyers announced that their client had accepted a plea deal of 45 years in prison. Alvarez’s family supported the plea.
After Diamond’s mother finished giving a victim’s impact statement, she tried to attack Deleon but was apprehended by deputies. At the same time that was happening, an unknown man (possibly a member of the Alvarez family) attacked Deleon and was tackled to the ground by several deputies.
The brawl took several minutes to get under control and the court was dismissed for the day.
Now, two days later, Deleon appeared in court for his official sentencing. In the plea deal he accepted, he will not be able to appeal his case and will not be eligible for parole until he serves 22 years in prison.
According to Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg, the Alvarez family was not allowed inside the courtroom after receiving threatening comments on social media and due to the brawl that happened Tuesday.
“They had every right to be here today, and so we look for some type of peace in this neighborhood, but understand that law enforcement has been informed and they will respond shall it be any violence in the neighborhood, just like they did when there was violence in the courtroom,” Ogg said.
The family met Thursday to discuss the formal sentencing and call for peace.
“What are they mad about? I don’t know. They didn’t lose anyone, we did. Their family member didn’t get murdered, ours did. It’s time that we move forward. I call for no retaliation. I call for no vengeance. I call for peace for my family so they can heal,” Diamond’s aunt said.
FIEL Executive Director Cesar Espinosa released the following statement Thursday:
“It has been a long time coming but this will be the beginning of a walk towards closure for this brave family. We have been with this family for over a year and although the family feels as though the system has failed them in many ways, they will now rely on this same system to bring them justice. Cases should not take this long but because they do we work to keep families engaged and part of the process. We hope that the Alvarez family can get the justice they deserve” - Cesar Espinosa FIEL Executive Director