FRIENDSWOOD, Texas – The 17-year-old Friendswood teen who admitted to shooting and killing one person and then injuring another has since bonded out of jail.
Connor Hilton has been charged with two counts of aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury. His bond was set at $600,000, however, the Friendswood Police Department said the Galveston County District Attorney increased Hilton’s bond to $500,000 for each of the charges, making his new bond $1 million.
Shortly after, KPRC 2 was told that Connor’s bond had been revoked, but on Wednesday, we learned Connor was granted bond again.
His attorney told KPRC 2 Rilwan Balogun that Connor was released from the Galveston County Jail on the same day.
Jack Roady, Galveston County’s Criminal District Attorney released the following statement regarding Hilton’s bond:
“Texas law requires the court to set a bond amount for every criminal defendant, except for capital murder defendants and repeat felons. Connor Hilton is not eligible for a charge of capital murder and is not a repeat felon. Therefore, the Court today set his bond. The Galveston County District Attorney’s Office requested bond be set at $1 million. The Court and the Defendant agreed. The District Attorney’s Office also requested several conditions of bond for the safety of the community. The Court and Defendant agreed to the requested bond conditions. Pursuant to the Court’s order, Defendant’s bond is set at $1 million with numerous conditions, including: wearing a GPS monitoring device; remaining at his new residential address except for doctor’s appointments and legal appointments; surrendering his passport; not accessing any social media; not coming closer than 1,000 feet of any premises where children commonly gather; not communicating with the surviving victims or their families; not coming closer than 200 yards of the surviving victims or their families; not possessing a firearm; not consuming alcohol, drugs, or marijuana; and not violating any state, federal, or other law.”
What Happened?
On Saturday, Dec. 23, police responded to reports of a shooting in the 1800 block of La Salle Street. When officers arrived, they found two men with gunshot wounds.
Ethan Riley, 18, died of his injuries.
According to court documents, Connor was at his home with three others when he showed off a “revolver with a teal handle. The suspect allegedly told investigators that his mom purchased the gun for him and he wanted the gun with the intent to shoot himself or someone else.
When investigators entered the home, they found the two victims suffering from gunshot wounds to their heads. Riley was taken to HCA Clear Lake Hospital where he was pronounced dead and the other was taken to UTMB Clear Lake Hospital.
The surviving victim remains in the hospital in critical condition.
When questioned by the Friendswood Police Department, Connor allegedly admitted to investigators that he shot Riley and the other victim.
He reportedly told investigators that he had thoughts about and wanted to commit a homicide for a long time. He said he invited the other men over to his home and how they arrived together.
Hilton said, “he stood up, raised the gun and shot Riley first in the left side of his head.” He said that he then turned to his right and shot the other victim in the left side of his head.
Hilton told investigators that he fully understood what he had done and that he should be held accountable.