HOUSTON, TX – An unsettling chain of events unfolded in Houston this week, raising critical questions about the criminal justice system. Austin Colette, who had previously admitted to murder, found himself at the center of a tragic murder-suicide involving his girlfriend. This incident has sparked a debate over the decision to allow him to remain free on bond after his guilty plea.
Houston police confirmed that Colette fatally shot his girlfriend before turning the gun on himself in a downtown apartment. The shocking discovery was made during a welfare check at 1810 Main Street, which quickly escalated into a SWAT operation, complete with the deployment of HPD’s robotic dog to assess the situation.
Colette’s legal troubles began in 2019 when he was involved in the murder of a man during a drug deal. Despite pleading guilty to the charge last December, Colette was granted bond and placed under house arrest. Over the next four years, he accrued additional legal issues, including bond violations and a new felony drug charge, yet remained out of custody as he awaited sentencing.
The decision to allow Colette to remain free has come under scrutiny. Typically, defendants who plead guilty to serious charges are taken into custody immediately. However, Colette’s case was handled differently, allowing him time outside of prison even with a pending pre-sentence investigation hearing scheduled for April 21.
Critics argue that the preparation of a pre-sentence investigation report, which includes the offense details and possibly character references, should not have taken so long. Colette’s attorney maintains that it is not uncommon for defendants to remain on bond until sentencing, a stance not shared by all legal experts.
Legal analyst Brian Wice pointed out that the court, under Judge Hilary Unger, had the authority to incarcerate Colette pending sentencing, or the prosecution could have moved to revoke his bond. Neither action was taken, leading to devastating consequences.
Colette’s eligibility for probation was never in question; he was destined for prison with no option to appeal his sentence. A grim reality that underscores the tragedy is that Colette would have eventually served at least half of his prison term before any possibility of parole.
Further complicating matters were Colette’s bond violations, which included a recent incident where his location was untraceable for 12 hours due to GPS device malfunctions. Despite these issues, the court decided against taking action.
As authorities continue to withhold the identity of Colette’s girlfriend, the incident has left a community grappling with the aftermath and searching for answers on how such a situation could have been prevented.