The Murder of Diamond Alvarez

 

Diamond Alvarez was brutally murdered in Houston, Texas on January 11th, 2022. The young girl was only 16 years old at the time of her death. Diamond's boyfriend, 17-year-old Frank Deleon Jr., has been arrested and charged with her murder. 

Frank Deleon Jr.

Diamond left her family's home that evening with the family dog. Her family members thought she was simply taking the dog for a walk, however she also made plans to meet up with Deleon at a nearby park. Diamond's family began to worry around 9:30 PM when they noticed that the dog had returned home without her. They then began to search for her throughout their neighborhood. Diamond's brother reportedly found her in a nearby field shortly thereafter. She had been shot 22 times in the back.

The Houston Police Department immediately began to search for a suspect. Throughout the investigation, it was revealed that Deleon had texted Diamond and asked her to meet up with him that evening. It was also revealed that Diamond had recently learned that Deleon had another girlfriend, and she wanted to confront him about it. It is believed that at some point during that meet up, Deleon shot Diamond multiple times before fleeing the scene.

It took investigators a few days to gather evidence before they finally arrested Deleon on January 17th. At his first court appearance, the judge set his bond at $250,000. Less than 48 hours later, the bond was posted, and Deleon was released from jail. 

Many locals are shocked by his release, and fear that he is a danger to the community. However, his bail was set relatively high. The average bail for a person charged with murder is reportedly around $50,000 (source). Deleon's bail was set much higher than that amount, but he was still able to be released. 

Thousands have signed a petition on Change.org to revoke Deleon's bond. The petition's description states, in part, "when the suspect Frank DeLeon was arrested, detectives stated he was found packing up to flee the city/state or country." Diamond's loved ones fear that this may impact their ability to get justice for Diamond. 

Although a suspect has already been charged, Houston Police are still hoping to locate more witnesses. If you have any information that could help the case, please contact 713-222-TIPS.