Judge orders man accused of killing HPD sergeant held with no bond

Photo of Samantha Ketterer

The man charged in the death of Houston Police Department Sgt. Harold Preston made his first court appearance on Wednesday, where a judge decided to continue holding him in jail without bond until a future hearing.

Manzano, wearing a cast on one arm, stepped in front of state district Judge Frank Aguilar briefly. He then sat near his attorneys and spoke to them as he wore headphones, which are typically used in court for translating purposes.

Defense attorney Rudy Duarte told the judge he would be ready in one month for a hearing to officially determine whether Manzano could be held without bond.

State law allows no bond in limited circumstances, mostly for capital murder cases. In addition to a charge of capital murder of a police officer, Manzano is being held on charges of attempted capital murder of a police officer and aggravated assault causing bodily injury.

Preston was fatally shot on Oct. 20 while responding to a domestic disturbance call. During the shooting, investigators said they believe Manzano also wounded his 14-year-old son and Officer Courtney Waller.

Manzano was also shot in the stomach area and was hospitalized until Sunday, when he was taken to the Harris County Jail.

The 51-year-old suspect, a Salvadoran national who is believed to have been in the Houston area for almost two decades, told police from his hospital bed that he believed the officers fired the first gunshots, according to court records.