HOUSTON – An inmate who had been in the Harris County Jail on a capital murder charge since 2022 is now back in custody after being mistakenly released from the jail on Thursday.
According to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Justin Tompkins, 21, was mistakenly released from the jail at around 9 p.m. Thursday.
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The sheriff’s office said they initiated a search for Tompkins after jail staff realized the mistake on Friday night. Around 8:40 p.m. Friday, Tompkins returned to the jail and voluntarily surrendered.
While the circumstances surrounding Tompkins mistaken release will be investigated, the sheriff’s office says the early indications are that jail staff mistook Tompkins for another inmate by the same name.
Tompkins had been in jail since December 2022 when he was arrested on a capital murder charge filed by the Houston Police Department. A judge set Tompkins’ bail at $750,000
He is accused in a deadly shooting which led to the death of 23-year-old Deon Pouncy. A second suspect, Osmin Antonio Zamora-Lopez, was also charged with capital murder in connection to the shooting.