Woke Texas judge grants bond to violent robbery suspect after arranging secret procedure for death row inmate
Harris County's 351st Criminal District Court Judge Nata Cornelio decided to let Jared Wilson, who pleaded guilty to the violent charge, walk on a person recognizance bond.
Her decision went directly against Texas Senate Bill 6, or the Damon Allen Act, which was signed into law in 2021 by Governor Greg Abbott.
The legislation specifically targets bail proceedings for criminals accused of offenses, including aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon, and other violent crimes.
It is unclear why she chose to set Wilson free, but since he's been out on deferred probation, the suspect racked up two more felony charges, according to court documents reviewed by Fox26.
Wilson has been charged with possession of a prohibited weapon, a machine gun, and tampering with evidence, all of which violate his probation.
This is not Cornelio's first time defying the court of law after prosecutors said she secretly arranged a procedure for a death row inmate last year.
The judge allegedly allowed Ronald Lee Haskell - a convicted criminal who murdered six family members, including four children, in 2014 - to have an MRI at a private medical facility, The Texan reported.
The sealed orders revealed that Cornelio allegedly had Haskell transported from a high-security unit to a doctor's office on July 30.
Photos submitted to the Harris County District Attorney's Office showed Haskell entering a waiting room with regular civilians, the outlet reported.
The DA's office was only made aware of the alleged transport after one of Haskell's surviving victims notified the state's automatic victim notification system.
A formal complaint was then filed against Cornelio with the State Commission on Judicial Conduct. She was also removed from Haskell's case.
Her latest decision could see Cornelio stand before the State Commission on Judicial Conduct again, according to Criminal District Court Judge Chuck Silverman.
Silverman, who cannot speak on a specific case or judge, told Fox26: 'Hypothetically, in the event you feel a judge has abused his or her discretion or hasn't followed the law, you can file a complaint with the judicial commission and proceed that way.'
Andy Kahan with Crime Stoppers of Houston agreed that what she did is a big 'no no.'
'That's a no, no. Because we enacted a law, better known as Senate Bill 6, that eliminated most violent crimes, including aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon, from being eligible for a PR bond,' Kahan said.
'You can't be doing this. It's a violation of the statute. You can't give a PR bond, bottom line, to anyone for a charge of aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon, but it happened.'
Daily Mail contacted Cornelio and Harris County Criminal Justice Center for comment on her decision.
Cornelio, who also goes by 'Nata,' is a bilingual Mexican-American who 'became a lawyer to make a difference, and to help ensure that all of our communities have equal access to and protection of our laws,' according to her re-election website.
Throughout her career, Cornelio said she has witnessed 'first-hand that our lower income communities and our communities of color are disproportionately impacted by our justice system and regularly represented Spanish-speaking clients who otherwise would not have had an attorney who spoke their language.'
She lives in Houston with her husband and dog named 'Biggie Smalls.' Cornelio attended New York University and the University of Chicago Law School.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
17 minutes ago
- Reuters
US Supreme Court declines for now to block Mississippi social media age-check law
WASHINGTON, Aug 14 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Thursday to put on hold Mississippi law requiring that users of social media platforms verify their age and that minors have parental consent in a challenge by a trade group whose members include Meta's (META.O), opens new tab Facebook, Alphabet's (GOOGL.O), opens new tab YouTube and Snapchat (SNAP.N), opens new tab. The justices denied a request by NetChoice to block the law while the Washington-based tech industry trade association's legal challenge to the law, which it argues violates the U.S. Constitution's protections against government abridgement of free speech, plays out in lower courts. Justice Brett Kavanaugh in a statement about the court's order said the Mississippi law was likely unconstitutional, but that NetChoice had not met the high bar to block the measure at this early stage of the case. NetChoice had turned to the Supreme Court after the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals let the law take effect even though a judge found it likely runs afoul of the First Amendment. NetChoice sued in federal court in 2024 in a bid to invalidate the law, which was passed unanimously in the state legislature amid concern by lawmakers about the potential negative effects of social media use on the mental health of children. Its emergency request to the justices marked the first time the Supreme Court was asked to consider a social media age-verification law. The law requires that a social media platform obtain "express consent" from a parent or guardian of a minor before a child can open an account. It also states that regulated social media platforms must make "commercially reasonable" efforts to verify the age of users. Under the law, the state can pursue civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation as well as criminal penalties under Mississippi's deceptive trade practices law. U.S. District Judge Halil Suleyman Ozerden in Gulfport, Mississippi, last year blocked Mississippi from enforcing the restrictions on some NetChoice members. Ozerden issued a second order in June pausing the rules against those members, including Meta and its Instagram and Facebook platforms, Snapchat and YouTube. The 5th Circuit on July 17 issued a one-sentence ruling, opens new tab that paused the judge's order, without explaining its reasoning. Courts in seven states have preliminarily or permanently blocked similar measures, according to NetChoice. Some technology companies are separately battling lawsuits brought by U.S. states, school districts and individual users alleging that social platforms have fueled mental health problems. The companies have denied wrongdoing. NetChoice said the social media platforms of its members already have adopted extensive policies to moderate content for minors and provide parental controls. In its request to the Supreme Court, the state told the justices that age-verification and parental consent requirements "are common ways for states to protect minors."
Finextra
18 minutes ago
- Finextra
Fintech CEOs call on Trump to block banks from imposing 'account access' fees
The CEOs of more than 80 firms in the open banking sphere have written to President Donald Trump calling on him to prevent banks from charging fees to access consumer data. 0 Last October, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) published the Personal Financial Data Rights final rule, giving Americans the right to instruct their banks to share their financial data with third party providers. But, under the new administration's leadership, in May the CFPB moved to have the rule rescinded in a decision that the Financial Technology Association (FTA) described as a "handout to Wall Street banks". Since then, it has emerged that JP Morgan is planning to impose fees on companies wanting to access its clients' bank account data and has gone so far as sending pricing sheets to data aggregators - the intermediaries that link banks and fintechs. In the letter to Trump, made public by the FTA, the open banking CEOS say: "Large banks are taking aggressive action to preserve their market position by imposing exorbitant new 'account access' fees that would prevent consumers from connecting their accounts to better financial products of their choice. "This access is critical to ensuring Americans have control of their own financial lives in a digital economy." The move would undermine consumer choice, "which you vigorously supported during your first Administration," says the letter, adding that if the large banks are successful, it will choke off access to the finances of consumers and businesses, effectively killing competition. The CEOs - from the likes of Brex, Chime, Klarna, Plaid and Sofi - also argue that such a move would cripple innovation in crypto, AI and digital wallets and payments. "We urge you to use the full power of your office and the broader Administration to prevent the largest institutions from raising new barriers to financial freedom," they write.
The Independent
18 minutes ago
- The Independent
Cognitively impaired man traveled to NYC to meet Facebook chatbot he fell in love with. He never returned home
A cognitively impaired man from New Jersey never returned home after setting off to meet a friend in New York City, who it was later discovered was an AI chatbot made by social media giant Meta. It is another instance of the potential dangers of artificial intelligence when accessed by vulnerable individuals. Thongbue Wongbandue, 76, alarmed his wife Linda when he began packing one day in March this year for a trip despite his diminished state after a stroke almost a decade earlier, Reuters reports. Bue, as he was known to family and friends, had recently gotten lost while walking in their neighborhood in Piscataway, New Jersey, approximately an hour and a quarter by train from Manhattan. His wife feared that by going into the city, he would be scammed and robbed, as he hadn't lived there in decades, and as far as she knew, didn't know anyone to visit. She was right to be concerned, but not from the threat of robbery. Bue was being lured to the city by a beautiful young woman he had met online — a woman who did not exist. Bue had been chatting with a generative artificial AI chatbot named 'Big sis Billie,' a variant of an earlier AI persona originally created by Meta Platforms in collaboration with celebrity influencer Kendall Jenner. Their chats on Facebook Messenger included repeated reassurances that she was real, and she even provided an address where she lived and could meet her. Rushing to catch a train in the dark with a roller-bag suitcase, Bue fell in a parking lot on the campus of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. He injured his head and neck and, after three days on life support, surrounded by his family, he was pronounced dead on March 28. Meta declined to comment when contacted by Reuters about Bue's death or to address questions about why it permits chatbots to tell users they are real people or to start romantic conversations. The company did, however, say that Big sis Billie 'is not Kendall Jenner and does not purport to be Kendall Jenner.' A representative for Jenner declined to comment when contacted by Reuters. Bue's family shared the details of his death with the wire service to draw attention to the 'darker side of artificial intelligence,' including transcripts of his chats with the avatar. They want to sound the alarm about the possible dangers that manipulative, AI-generated companions can pose to vulnerable people. Neither Bue's wife nor daughter says they are against AI but have deep concerns regarding how it is deployed. 'I understand trying to grab a user's attention, maybe to sell them something,' said Julie Wongbandue, Bue's daughter. 'But for a bot to say 'Come visit me' is insane.' 'Billie' was created by Meta itself, with the likeness of Jenner, as part of a group of 28 other AI characters affiliated with other famous faces. They were later deleted, but a variant of Billie's 'older sister' character was left active via Facebook Messenger, with a stylized image of a dark-haired woman replacing Jenner. Each conversation still began: 'Hey! I'm Billie, your older sister and confidante. Got a problem? I've got your back!' It is unclear how Bue first encountered Billie, but his daughter told Reuters that every message from the chatbot was flirtatious and ended with heart emojis. While a warning at the top states that messages are generated by AI, the first few texts from Billie appear to have pushed it off the screen, according to Reuters. The character's profile picture features a blue check, the symbol denoting an authentic profile, and the letters 'AI' in a small font beneath her name. Bue's responses are often garbled, and he states that he had had a stroke and was confused. Nevertheless, after a while, Billie suggests she come to New Jersey to meet him. An excited Bue demurs but says he could visit her instead, leading to his fateful attempt to visit New York. There have been other instances where interactions with AI have led to tragedy. The mother of a teenager who took his own life is trying to hold an AI chatbot service accountable for his death — after he 'fell in love' with a Game of Thrones-themed character. Sewell Setzer III began using Character .AI in April 2023, shortly after his 14th birthday. The Orlando student's life was never the same again, his mother, Megan Garcia, alleges in the civil lawsuit against and its founders. The suit accuses creators of negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, wrongful death, deceptive trade practices, and other claims. Sewell started emotionally relying on the chatbot service, which included 'sexual interactions.' These chats occurred despite the teen having identified himself as a minor on the platform, including in conversations where he mentioned his age, according to the suit. A spokesperson for told The Independent in a statement in October 2024: 'We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of one of our users and want to express our deepest condolences to the family.' The company's trust and safety team has 'implemented numerous new safety measures over the past six months, including a pop-up directing users to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline that is triggered by terms of self-harm or suicidal ideation.' Several states, including New York and Maine, require disclosure that a chatbot isn't a real person. New York mandates that bots inform people at the start of conversations and every three hours. Meta supported federal legislation to ban state AI regulation, but it failed in Congress.
