Gwinnett County’s district attorney has spoken out against the release of a 20-year-old man suspected of killing his pregnant, 16-year-old ex-girlfriend on a surprisingly small bond.
“It is disappointing that (Superior Court) Judge Karen Beyers chose to grant a bond to this defendant, and one less than even his defense attorney proposed,” District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said Thursday.
Jesus Monroy, who faces charges of malice murder and other counts, was granted a $50,000 bond at a hearing Wednesday afternoon, Gwinnett court records show. The defendant is accused of killing teenager Mia Campos while she was seven months pregnant on July 15, according to Gwinnett police.
Details about the conditions of Monroy’s bond are not available in public filings.
“This beautiful young girl’s child would have been born next month, and now both the mother and child are lost. We vehemently opposed this release,” Austin-Gatson said.
Campos was found dead July 15 when her family went searching for her in the woods, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported. Family members used a cell phone app to track her location.
Monroy was initially arrested on charges of lying to investigators two days after Campos’ body was found, police said. The following week, police took out warrants charging Monroy with malice murder, felony murder, feticide and aggravated assault.
When Campos’ body was first found, police could not determine her cause of death. The Gwinnett Medical Examiner’s Office later performed an autopsy and confirmed that her death was a homicide.
Monroy spent about a month and a half in the Gwinnett jail after his arrest on July 17. He was released just before 1 p.m. Thursday.
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