HOUSTON – A grieving mother is frustrated after a career criminal suspected in the death of her son is once again given the opportunity to get out of jail.
34-year-old Jarrick Hoskins was shot and killed outside of a restaurant on Emancipation Avenue last December. Cedric Denzil Brooks was arrested and charged with murder and has since been given a $300,000 bond.
Brooks’ lengthy rap sheet is exactly why Hoskins’ mother and crime victims’ advocates are pushing for a bill that would allow judges to have discretion when it comes to granting bond.
“The shoes I’m walking in right now is very heavy, and I just don’t understand,” said Tameka Moore, Hoskins’ mother. “My son being a victim, he was murdered on December 18th by someone who was a habitual criminal.”
The Texas Department of Public Safety shows Brooks has convictions dating back to 2009 for multiple crimes including criminal trespass, theft, and burglary. In 2018 we reported on Brooks, a documented gang member, being arrested yet again.
Reasons why Moore and Victim Services Director of Crimestoppers Houston, Andy Kahan are pushing for changes at the Capitol.
“It’s hard for victims’ families to understand and fathom why there has to be a bond. I get it, but this is one of the cases that cries out why we need a constitutional amendment to allow judges discretion,” Kahan said.
The Harris County DA’s office sent us a statement saying, “As our court filings show, our prosecutors asked that Brooks be held without bond.”
But as Kahan mentions, that’s not how the system works.
“Right now, by statute they have to grant a bond to any offender charged with any offense with the exception of capital murder. So, in this case he’s charged with murder,” Kahan said.
With an unwavering pain now coupled with frustration, Moore says she plans to be alongside Kahan, pushing for bond reform.
“If they’re taking the bill to Austin, I will definitely be there at the forefront. I want my voice to be heard, I want them to understand what I’m feeling as a mother,” she said.
At last check Brooks had not posted bond. Kahan says they’ve already tried twice to push the bill that would allow judges to deny bond at their own discretion. He and Moore are hoping third times the charm when that bill is presented at the State Capitol next year.
