Brandon Wilkins

Austin is twice as deadly since DA José Garza entered office

AUSTIN MAN shot a homeless woman in an East Austin parking lot last year. But the DA just let him walk. Frank Bonner was arrested January 2025 for the murder of Kelly Meazell, who was found in a pool of blood on Manor Road, after Bonner apparently beat her up and shot her. The murder bond was $1 million. Before Bonner killed her, he was charged 33 times in Travis County, including: • 3 aggravated robberies - all dismissed • Multiple drug felonies (cocaine, meth) - dismissed • Criminal mischief $30K-$150K, evading w/ vehicle, tampering with evidence - dismissed • Contraband in a correctional facility - declined • Possession of firearm as felon - declined Then Kelly was murdered. What happened next: • April 2025: DA rejects the murder charge. No charges filed. • March 2026: His pending aggravated assault with a deadly weapon from October 2024 is dismissed. With no trial or convictions, Bonner is back on the street, while Kelly Meazell is still dead and her family is still grieving.

11 of 12 felonies dropped? Make that 13 of 14. How is it that a notorious murder suspect gets released and we hear nothing about it?

AUSTIN MAN arrested at bus stop for killing homeless woman. Record w/DA Garza: • 11 of 12 felonies dropped • 2 gun charges as felon—released • Violent crimes, drug felonies, property destruction—dismissed Then Kelly Meazell found dead with neck trauma and gunshot wound.

UPDATE: Why did DA José Garza's office just let Frank Bonner walk on the murder of homeless woman Kelly Meazell? Here's what prosecutors got from police: - Kelly was shot in the neck at close range, with signs of being robbed after. - A nearby security camera caught a man running after Kelly, then jumping into a car and speeding off. - A tipster told police what happened: Bonner killed Kelly because she owed him drug money, then came home that night in bloody clothes, bagged them up, and took off. - Two days later, police got a 911 call from Bonner's apartment because a woman was being held at gunpoint. He ran before officers arrived. - Police searched the apartment and found a Nest camera in his living room recording the night Kelly was killed. Six minutes after the shooting, Bonner walks in, strips off his bloody clothes, and stuffs them into a kitchen trash bag. He tells the woman with him to power off her phone then washes his hands. He tells her to mop the floor, and then says, on his own camera, out loud: "Homicide will be in this hoe, right." Then he tells her to misdirect police about his timing and whereabouts. Garza's office reviewed all of this and rejected the murder charge two weeks ago -- after years of dropping Bonner's prior cases for aggravated robbery, drug felonies, evading arrest, tampering with evidence, contraband in jail, and felon-with-firearm. Bonner's pending aggravated assault case was also dismissed in the meantime. This was a separate shooting where he put three bullets in a man's leg over a crack baggie. The reason given was that the victim wouldn't testify. But prosecutors don't need a cooperative victim to pursue a man who shot someone in broad daylight -- not with shell casings, surveillance, 911 audio, medical records, and a record a mile long. They chose not to fight that one either. So after a trail of victims, including a dead homeless woman, Frank Bonner is back on Austin's streets.

Also, it was filed as a Capital Murder. Capital Murder in Texas means the punishment upon a finding of guilt is Life Without Parole if the State does not seek the death penalty. Capital Murder, among other things, is when you’re committing a felony and cause the death of someone. The Travis County District Attorney chose to go with regular murder which allows for parole and has a minimum of just five years and a maximum of life with parole.

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Austin Police are investigating a homicide near the 5000 block of East 7th street. PIO1 will provide a media briefing at a time and location TBD.