Houston - A Texas appeals court has upheld the $1. 5 million bond for a Houston man accused of shooting and killing an 11-year-old boy who was playing a "ding-dong ditch" prank last year.

In a ruling issued November 3, the Fourteenth Court of Appeals rejected Gonzalo Leon Jr.'s argument that his bond was excessive, citing the seriousness of the capital murder charge, public safety concerns and insufficient evidence that his family could not afford the bond.

Leon is accused of killing 11-year-old Julian Guzman on August 30, 2025, outside his home in the 9700 block of Mimbrough Street in east Houston.