Houston – For the first time in Texas, a law approved by voters is being used to deny bail to a violent crime suspect. Proposition 3 gives judges the discretion to hold certain defendants without bond, changing how the state handles potentially dangerous offenders.
KPRC’s Deven Clarke spoke with Andy Kahan, director of Victim Services at Crime Stoppers of Houston, who spent years advocating for the law.
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Kahan has organized annual holiday memorials for families who have lost loved ones to violence. “We have five trees decorated with ornaments. Every year we bring families together during the holidays,” he said. Each ornament represents a murder victim, highlighting the ongoing grief these families carry.
Since 2019, Kahan has tracked more than 220 cases in which people were killed by defendants released on multiple felony or personal recognizance bonds. He believes some of these cases might have turned out differently under today’s law.
“Martha Medina was a 71-year-old grandmother. She was followed from a bank, went to McDonald’s, and was murdered during an attempted carjacking,” Kahan said. Cases like hers fueled a years-long push to pass Proposition 3, which allows judges to keep dangerous defendants behind bars before trial.
The legislation faced multiple setbacks before passing. “2019, it failed. 2021, failed again. 2023, we couldn’t even get it out of the House. And in 2025, we finally got it passed,” Kahan said.
The law was first applied following the Dec. 4 killing of 36-year-old Yadua Barraza Hernandez, who was allegedly gunned down while working in his family’s taco truck. “Because the murder happened after December 1st—when Prop 3 went into effect—the DA could request a no-bond hearing, and the judge granted it. To my knowledge, this is the first time Prop 3 has ever been used,” Kahan said.
For families who have already lost loved ones, justice cannot undo the pain. But Kahan and other supporters say the law may prevent the next tragedy. “When I saw that, I smiled and said—we did it. Seeing something you fought for over six years actually protect a family… that’s why we do this,” he said.
It is important to note that Proposition 3 does not allow judges to revoke bail in past cases. It only applies moving forward. Supporters say that forward motion could mean lives spared, families kept whole, and future generations with brighter futures, as violent offenders may now remain behind bars.