HOUSTON — The man charged with the road rage murder of a Houston teenager was back in a courtroom Wednesday.
Gerald Williams is scheduled to stand trial in December for the 2021 shooting death of 17-year-old David Castro.
David's father Paul attended today's pre-trial hearing.
"It has been a living nightmare. And every time we have to come up here and stare at the person accused of killing David, it's painful," Paul Castro said. "David's not here. He's [Williams] going to home with his family tonight because of a discount bond."
Williams, 34, was given a $350,000 bond after his arrest but didn't pay the full 10 percent because of a loophole that allowed bail bondsman to give discounts, according to Castro.
He and other victims' families later won their fight to change the loophole in Harris County.
After today's hearing, Castro said he thinks the case is moving in the right direction.
Williams didn't have anything to say as he left with his family, but his attorney said they are confident in their case.
How police identified Williams
According to court documents, Paul Castro had a verbal altercation with a man driving a white Buick as they were leaving a game at Minute Maid. He told police the Buick began following them through the downtown area.
Paul Castro told police he sped away to try to avoid the suspect, who fired several shots through the back window of their truck. David Castro was struck and later died from his injuries.
Court documents said officers got surveillance video at a nearby Valero and found two shell casings at the turnaround in front of the gas station.
Police said a car matching the description was put on sale through Offer Up so they tracked down the person who posted the ad. According to court documents, Williams bought a Buick Lacrosse on May 30, and that the vehicle couldn't be found after the deadly shooting.
Police said the burned car was found in a field near Williams’ house and cell phone records placed Williams in the area of the shooting at the time it occurred.