Melanie Infinger could not forgive her son-in-law Alex Guajardo the first few years after he stabbed her pregnant daughter to death in 2019.
She offered that forgiveness instead Tuesday, more than five years later, after Guajardo went before the family in court, clutching a crumpled piece of paper, to plead guilty to killing Caitlynne Guajardo, who was pregnant with a boy. Guajardo struck a deal with prosecutors downgrading a capital murder charge to two counts of murder in exchange for a life sentence with parole.
“I forgive you, Alex,” Infinger said. “I pray that you truly find God and you find true remorse for what you did.”
Her mercy came with a caveat.
“You don’t deserve to ever leave prison,” she continued.
Infinger spent the early months of Guajardo’s case deriding cash-free bonds that secured his quick release from jail after his arrest on allegations that he punched his wife and killed her cat. Within hours, he returned to their Pasadena home and stabbed her nearly two dozen times.
The killing started a years-long debate as opponents of misdemeanor bail reform highlighted his arrest as an example of a defendant going on to garner new charges while out on bond. Infinger went on to lend her voice to Texas lawmakers as her daughter’s death became the catalyst for changes to state law on who can receive personal recognizance bonds and backing a political fund aimed at unseating Democratic judges. She also sued Harris County.
“I can’t live with the hate, I can’t live with the unforgiveness and the frustration — I just have to give it to him,” Infinger said. “The first two years of this — I was angry.”
Andy Kahan, director of victim services at Crime Stoppers of Houston, pointed to Guajardo’s case for shifting his advocacy toward tougher bail decisions — a role that led to his tallying of defendants accused of new offenses while out on bond and a frequent appearance on a TV news segment aimed at challenging felony judges on their bail decisions.
The bail debate coincided with a nationwide increase in violent crime during the pandemic but those numbers have since diminished.
“I think this one opened up Pandora’s box,” Kahan said. “I never in my 30-plus years had anything to do with the issue of bond until the Guajardo case.”
Guajardo says he laments ‘selfish decision’
Guajardo penned his own words to Infinger and the rest of her family, professing remorse for his wife’s death as Infinger and others watched.
He said he made a “selfish decision” but stopped short of asking for forgiveness.
“As God as my witness, I take full accountability for the events of that day and the consequences that followed,” Guajardo said. “I will forever be sorry. Not a day will go by where I won’t carry this with me.”
Judge Melissa Morris noted that Guajardo will receive around five years credit for time spent at the Harris County jail. He never made bail on the capital murder charge and was caught with a shank months into his jail term — a charge he also pleaded guilty to. He will be eligible for parole in 30 years — or when he is 57.
A court-appointed defense attorney, Justin Keiter, said Guajardo wanted to plead guilty within months of his arrest.
“He’s ashamed of what he did, he’s sorry for what he did and he knows he had to pay for what he did,” Keiter said.
The case was set for trial multiple times but pushed back as reports from potential expert witnesses questioned Guajardo’s mental capacity and any potential connection to the effects of prenatal alcohol use by his mother, according to court records.
District Attorney Kim Ogg doubted the findings but conceded the review of evidence would have dragged the case out longer. She will leave office Dec. 31 after losing the Democratic primary in March.
“We wanted to bring these cases to resolution,” Ogg said. “The family felt like two life sentences, plus the 10 years for the impermissible weapon in the jail, will keep him in prison for a long enough time to give this family peace and to protect the public.”
Bringing ‘a real spotlight’
The case prompted a pivotal moment in Ogg’s tenure as district attorney when Guajardo’s lawyer — a former prosecutor effectively fired as Ogg started her first term — beckoned her to court to address her office’s perceived penchant for pre-trial publicity.
The attorney argued, unsuccessfully, for two days to move Guajardo’s case to another county by alleging Ogg’s office crossed an ethical line in steeping the case and others with news coverage. Other defense attorneys mirrored his attempts to change venues in cases involving high-profile defendants, including former Houston police officer Gerald Goines — who has since been convicted.
Prosecutors countered during Keiter’s hearing that the news coverage on Guajardo’s case was not extensive and, in fact, waned after the initial arrest as other killings happened in the Houston area.
Keiter steered his questioning toward allegations that Ogg’s office was working hand-in-hand with Crime Stoppers, but Ogg denied such a partnership. Evidence included Ogg’s emails from Kahan about his growing list of on-bond defendants facing new allegations. Guajardo was on Kahan’s list.
Ogg also denied orchestrating a flood of publicity surrounding Guajardo’s case with Infinger, who often went on camera to address her daughter’s killing. The district attorney described her as “an innocent surviving family member of someone who was murdered.”
After Guajardo’s sentencing, Ogg thanked Infinger for advocating for other crime victims and “bringing a real spotlight to the issue of bail.”
Original Source: Nicole Hensley, Houston Chronicle. Click here to view original post!