HOUSTON — A man charged in a deadly drive-by shooting at a block party in northeast Houston last month appeared in court Friday morning.
KHOU 11's Victor Jacobo was the only reporter in the courtroom for 21-year-old Javion Tyrus Noel's court appearance. Noel is one of three men charged with capital murder in the case.
A judge set Noel's bond at $400,000 for the capital murder charge. The judge also upped the bond on four unrelated firearms charges to $50,000 each. The man did not say much during the appearance, only that he understood what the judge told him.
Prosecutors accuse Noel and two other men - 20-year-old Jakalyn Willis and 20-year-old Markielo Jamal Reynolds - of pulling up to a block party on Laura Koppe Road on Sept. 14 and opening fire on the crowd from their vehicle. Three people were killed and eight hurt in the shooting.
Houston police identified the three people who were killed as Jarvis Faultry, 24, Breon Stuard, 23, and Marlon Jackson, 24.
Once charges were filed, investigators said they found out that all three suspects were already in custody -- Noel was in the Harris County Jail on an unrelated charge while Willis and Reynolds were in jail in Los Angeles on unrelated charges. Prosecutors said Willis and Reynolds are being held in Denver and are awaiting transport to Houston.
Defense attorneys said the capital murder case is still in its early stages. If convicted, Noel could face the death penalty or life in prison without parole.
The motive for the shooting remains unclear.