Bond lowered for man who claimed to shoot at robbery suspect when 9-year-old Arlene Alvarez killed

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A man’s bond was lowered from $140,000 on Monday after being charged with murder in the 2022 shooting death of a 9-year-old girl.

A grand jury formally charged 33-year-old Tony D. Earls Jr. on April 24 in the shooting death of Arlene Alvarez, which occurred in the Gulfgate area on February 14, 2022.

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Court documents reveal that Earls Jr.’s bond was reduced to $90,000 for murder and aggravated assault counts at Monday’s hearing.

The incident happened when Earls was robbed at gunpoint at the Chase Bank at the intersection of Winkler and Woodridge. Police said he fired multiple shots towards the thief, but the bullets hit the pickup truck in which Alvarez’s family was traveling, killing the girl.

In July 2022, Earls was released after a grand jury declined to indict him on an aggravated assault charge.

His next court hearing is scheduled for July 24.