AUSTIN, Texas — A father mourns the death of his daughter who was killed on New Year's Day in southeast Austin.
Police said 19-year-old Naomi Davis was killed by a man who was released from jail on a "Personal Recognizance Bond" just over two weeks before she died.
Those bonds, more commonly known as "PR bonds," allow a defendant out of jail without paying as long as they promise to show up for future court appearances. Davis' father said he just wants to know why her accused killer was released from jail given his criminal history.
Scott Davis remembers the first time he held his baby girl. His mission in life was to keep her safe and make sure she never doubted how much she was loved.
"It was a life-changing moment ... There's that much beauty that can just be created in this world," Scott Davis said. "I needed to get my act together because I had somebody important to take care of."
He said he spent a lot of time talking to his daughter, but that there were some "pretty bad" things she hid from him. "Pretty bad" is also how he would describe his daughter's relationship with her abusive boyfriend, 20-year-old Martin Rodriguez, a convicted felon.
Rodriguez was arrested in December on a felony charge of illegally possessing a gun. That's when Naomi Davis hired an attorney for him.
"They initially set his bond at $100,000," Scott Davis said. "My daughter paid an attorney $17000 and that attorney was able to get that bond reduced to a PR bond."
Rodriguez was released from jail on Dec. 15, 2023. Scott Davis said his daughter ended her relationship with Rodriguez just days before he allegedly shot and killed Naomi Davis, before trying to take his own life. Rodriguez survived, but Scott Davis still wants to know how Rodriguez was granted a PR bond in the first place.
"I still don't think I've fully ... I've fully accepted the fact that it happened. He was able to just promise to show up for a court date and walk out," Scott Davis said. "But it turned out that he was an incredibly angry and violent criminal."
Rodriguez has a long criminal history, including charges of car theft, felony drug possession and weapons possession. In December's weapons charge, Rodriguez told the court he was indigent. Retired judge Charlie Baird said PR bonds are typically granted in misdemeanor cases and felony cases that don't involve acts of violence.
"Typically, the personal bond situation is directed toward indigents. These are individuals who are, can not only not afford a lawyer, but cannot afford to pay a bondsman," Baird said. "These are very, very tough decisions for judges."
But after looking closer at Rodriguez's case, Baird said that based on Rodriguez's prior offenses and criminal history, he would not have given him a bond.
Scott Davis said he hopes telling his daughter's story will help someone else avoid the anguish he's going through as he prepares to say goodbye to his little girl.
"It's terrifying to think that that probably happens a lot more often than people think," Scott Davis said. "I can only hope that she's just in a better place and she's happy."