KEY POINTS

  • The accused was released on bond in August
  • He was committed to a mental institution for some time after the first arrest
  • His father said the man had a history of devil-worshipping

A "satanic" murder accused released on bond recently has landed in prison again, this time for allegedly shooting a 39-year-old man to death.

Edward O'Neal Jr. was arrested in 2016 for murdering his friend, 16-year-old Ryan Roberts, as part of a satanic ritual in Texas. At the time, O'Neal had admitted to the police that he stabbed his friend several times.

His bail was initially set for $50,000, which was then reduced to $25,000. He was released from Harris County jail in August.

On Saturday, police arrested O'Neal again for fatally shooting 39-year-old Derrick Mike. The man's body was found at an apartment complex on West Montgomery road on Nov. 28. Police said Mike was conscious and he described his assailant to the officers before he was rushed to a hospital. He died the next day, reported Houston Chronicle.

O'Neal's mother reportedly told the investigators that her son had mental issues and that she was afraid of his actions.

"I told the DA he should not get out. He killed my son, he’ll be killing again," Christina Robert, the mother of the first victim, said, reported ABC13.

The accused was originally committed to a mental institution for 120 days in connection with the teen's murder and was found incompetent for trial.

"It's sad that another family is having to go through what I went through because the justice system failed us," Christina said, reported local news outlet KHOU11.

O'Neal's father, in an earlier interview with the news outlet, said his son used to worship the devil and that he suffered from hallucinations. The man said he took him for psychiatric treatment when the first victim's body was recovered.

Harris County District Attorney's Office said it had opposed lowering the bond for O'Neal.

"Our prosecutors told the judge in court that we opposed bond being lowered for this defendant and we twice filed motions asking the judge to set conditions on the defendant’s bond if he were to be released pending trial," Dane Schiller, a spokesman for the Harris County District Attorney's Office, said.

O'Neal is held in jail without bond this time.

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