A Georgia father has expressed outrage after the man who police say killed his pregnant daughter was released on bail.
Edward Campos, father of 16-year-old Mia Campos, made the comments hours after a Gwinnett County judge granted bail to 20-year-old Jesus Monroy.
Monroy is her daughter’s ex-boyfriend and was seen leaving the jail with his family at midnight Thursday. He is said to be the father of the victim’s unborn child.
Despite this, he posted bail of $56,000, more than a month after being charged with the girl’s murder. Campos, seven months pregnant, was found dead in the woods after disappearing from her home with Monroy on July 14.
A month and a half later, Campos expressed his displeasure at Channel 2 Action News.
Mia Campos, 16, was found dead in a forest in her home state of Georgia a day after she disappeared from her home on July 14. She was seven months pregnant.
A Gwinnett County judge granted bail to Jesus Monroy, 20, who is said to be the father of the victim’s fetus.
“It’s getting worse,” the grieving father said after Judge Karen E. Beyers’ decision.
‘You can see his room and it’s just an empty box.’
She went on to lament that her daughter, found dead on July 15, had given birth to her son the following week.
“Now I don’t have my grandson,” she said. “And now I don’t have my daughter.”
This comes after police handcuffed Monroy on four felony charges, including murder.
“But after hearing the defense attorney, everything went down the drain,” Campos said of the hearing held the day before, where Monroy was told he would return home.
“It all went down the drain.”
There, Monroy’s attorney successfully argued that since the evidence against his client was circumstantial, he was not a threat.
Judge Karen E. Beyers granted the adult man $56,000 bail on Wednesday, after which his family posted the $5,600 required to get him on his way.
Relatives of the murdered woman who was found dead last month when she was seven months pregnant were not happy with the decision.
The lawyer also noted that the suspect had no criminal record prior to his current criminal proceedings, so the 20-year-old, who is allegedly the father of the unborn child, was not considered a flight risk.
Considering the seriousness of the charges, the lawyer requested a bail of $75,000.
Judge Beyers handed down an even lower sentence of $50,000, but jail records show the suspect’s bail ultimately ended up at $56,000.
Such a decision is extremely rare in a murder case, where bail for suspects is sometimes set in the millions, if it is allowed at all.
What’s more, Monroy’s family only had to pay the required 10 percent: a paltry $5,600.
The Campos family, meanwhile, continues to wait for justice, although they will never see the victim or her son again.
“His family can see him and can talk to him,” Campos told Channel 2 on Thursday. “They can hug him. I can’t do that with my daughter. Because my daughter is gone, Sebastian (the name of her daughter’s unborn son) is gone.”
When she was found, her body was swollen, cold and purple, her relatives told police. They also said the teenager’s hand was on her stomach.
Campos’ mother, Miriam Zárate (pictured), said she found her daughter just minutes from her home hiding in dense bushes.
“I’m going to get justice,” Campos said Thursday despite the suspect’s release. “I’m going to get justice because I’m 100 percent sure (he did it).” The age of consent in Georgia is 16.
Monroy, for his part, surrendered his passport to the court as part of the agreement to grant him bail. He has also been prohibited from having contact with any witnesses in the case.
This comes weeks after he was caught allegedly “making false statements to a police officer” following his arrest on July 19.
Campos’ mother, Miriam Zárate, said last month that she found her daughter just minutes from her home, hiding in dense brush.
When they found her, her body was swollen, cold and purple, Zarate recalled. She also said her daughter’s hand was on her belly.
“I found my daughter face down,” Campos told Atlanta News First at the time. “It was tough. I knew something was wrong — her lips, her nose bleeding.”
Mia was the youngest of five siblings, she said, adding that everyone was shocked by the loss.
“I’m going to get justice,” Campos said Thursday despite the suspect’s release. “I’m going to get justice because I’m 100 percent sure (he did it).”
The age of consent in Georgia is 16.