Travis County Judge Criticized After Approving Release Of Stalker Who Later Killed Himself

AUSTIN, TX — A municipal judge is under fire after allowing the release of an inmate accused of stalking his ex-girlfriend after the man committed suicide after resuming contact with the object of his obsession.

The Austin American-Statesman reported that Travis County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Scott Crowe has notified the county's municipal judge that the decision to release Richard Thornton from Travis County Jail last month — despite warnings from a pretrial screening — likely aided in his attempt to kill his ex-girlfriend. Thornton, 39, took his life in the victim's home during a final attempt to stalk her.

According to the news report, Thornton gained entry into his victim's home by shooting out a glass sliding door with a shotgun. Just one week earlier, Municipal Judge Celeste Villarreal signed the personal recognizance bond that enabled Thornton to go free, according to the report.

The sergeant said the judge didn't consult the Travis County District Attorney's Office before signing the release form, according to the report. Moreover, the stalking victim was allowed a chance to protest the personal recognizance bond, the newspaper noted in its report.

In her defense, the judge said she didn't recall signing the release form for Thornton. Still, she said she likely would've made the same decision based on the information that was made available to her at the time, she added.

“I definitely have a reputation for being very firm and a stickler on family violence and strangulation cases,” Villarreal told the Statesman. “I don’t take these cases lightly.”

According to the Statesman, Thornton, of Hutto, was arrested in 2014 and convicted of harassment in connection with the same female victim. In September, she told law enforcement officials that Thornton had left a plastic bin full of love letters and gifts in her driveway. The victim told police she later found a GPS tracking device that had been affixed on her car, the Statesman reported.

Thornton reportedly fled the state upon learning stalking charges were to be filed against him, only to be captured in Alabama. He initially complied with the TRO but is said to have later cut off the ankle monitor he was compelled to wear to continue stalking the victim, the Statesman reported.

“I believe that based on the events in this case, Mr. Thornton had no intention of living up to any agreements made to be released on a PR bond,” the newspaper quoted Crowe as having written to the judge. “He had a single-minded goal, and his ease of release aided him at his attempt to kill the victim.”

>>> Read the full story at Austin American-Statesman

Richard Thornton booking photo via Travis County Jail records.