HOUSTON — Tony Earls, the man accused of shooting and killing 9-year-old Arlene Alvarez in 2022, is now facing a new charge.
While the murder charge against him will be dismissed, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office announced that he will be facing a manslaughter charge.
Earls was in court on Wednesday, and a judge kept his bond at $75,000.
His trial is set to begin on Sept. 5.
On Valentine’s Day in 2022, investigators said Earls was robbed at gunpoint while he was at an ATM near the intersection of Winkler and Woolridge. According to prosecutors, he opened fire on a passing truck mistakenly believing the suspect was inside. Instead, it was the Alvarez family, and Arlene was hit and killed.
The DA’s office said that, given the evidence, it believes manslaughter is the appropriate charge to bring to a jury.
Earls was initially charged with aggravated assault, but a grand jury declined to indict him in 2022. The Alvarez family then hired their own team, which they said uncovered new evidence, and Earls was charged again in 2024.
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