North Texas capital murder suspect's disappearance raises questions about bond

DALLAS - Multiple North Texas sheriff's offices and the U.S. Marshals continue the manhunt for a capital murder suspect who went missing in East Texas on Monday.

Trevor McEuen, 32, was scheduled for trial Monday morning, but instead cut off his ankle monitor and disappeared in Van Zandt County. Later Monday, officials called off the search for the day, believing McEuen left the Van Zandt County area.

As the search for McEuen continues Tuesday, FOX 4 is asking more questions about why he was out on house arrest after violating the terms of his original bond. 

Officials weigh in on continued search

What they're saying:

FOX 4 spoke to former Dallas County Assistant District Attorney Russell Wilson, who is not associated with this case, asking him if the bond circumstances are unusual.

"The overwhelming majority of people that are on bond, even high bonds or ankle monitors, do show up for court," Wilson said. "And so they often do actually achieve their purpose." 

"You don't always know all the information that the judge has at the time, but a judge certainly could say that there will be no further bonds allowed," Wilson went on. "And so you don't know, in this case, why."

 When we talked to Kaufman County Sheriff Bryan Beavers on Monday, he expressed frustration with the justice system, saying the victim's family was failed. 

"It’s a horrific crime," Beavers said. "He’s already proven to us he will violate conditions of bond, and they still allowed him to have a bond. And law enforcement gets frustrated over stuff like this." 

Wilson said multiple factors come into play when considering bond. He said the judge could have denied bond, but noted judges also follow bond guidelines.  

"You kind of have to remember when you have a policy in place, it has to be a policy that's uniformly applied across the board for every person," said Wilson. "In general, there's a constitutional right to a bond."

Beavers believes someone may be helping McEuen to evade law enforcement. 

Trevor McEuen

The backstory:

The murder took place on May 1, 2023. Investigators say McEuen shot his neighbor Aaron Martinez, 35, several times, then admitted to it after a SWAT standoff in Forney. 

The following November, McEuen was indicted for capital murder. On Sept. 6, 2024, he was released on a $2.25 million bond with an ankle monitor. 

A week later, on Sept. 13, he violated social media restrictions on his bond and went back to jail, but was given a second chance. On Dec. 18, he posted a second bond of $2 million and was again released with an ankle monitor.

What you can do:

A $10,000 reward has been offered for information on McEuen's location.

Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts should contact the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office at 469-376-4500 immediately or reach out to Kaufman County Crime Stoppers. 

The public is urged to remain vigilant and not approach McEuen. 

Gov. Abbott pushes for bond reform

Dig deeper:

Gov. Greg Abbott has recently spearheaded a push for reforming state bail practices, believing changes to the Texas constitution could save lives in cases such as McEuen's.

Abbott visited Houston last week for a press conference on the subject, addressing the issue of more than 200 cases of dangerous offenders free from jail on bond killing innocent Texans.

Currently, only capital murder suspects are exempt from bonds. Abbott's proposed amendment would allow judges to deny bond for other violent crimes, like murder, aggravated kidnapping, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

TexasForneyVan Zandt CountyKaufman CountyCrime and Public Safety