HOUSTON — A jail inmate cooked up a plan to stab and kill a prosecutor in a Harris County courtroom, according to the DA's office.
The alleged murder plot unraveled when Victor Guzman, 26, was caught with a 9-inch steel shank or makeshift knife.
The close call, however, shook fellow prosecutors with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.
“We come here every day and deal with violent offenders. We do this because we want to protect the public," Assistant District Attorney George Lindsey told us. "But it is concerning that someone can have a device of this measure, concoct a plan, acquire this object, and try and make measures to execute that plan.”
Guzman faced a judge under heavy security Thursday after the state filed a motion to restrict his jail privileges.
- He's now restricted to the Harris County Jail
- His visitation will be limited and will now be supervised and need prior approval by the court
- No incoming or outgoing calls or emails
- Prohibited from having any contact with other inmates
- No longer allowed to purchase items from the commissary
"The state brought this motion because Victor Guzman has demonstrated that not only is he a continued threat to society, but he's also continued threat to the courtroom staff, he's a continued threat to the detention officers that are charged with the duty of keeping the inmates safe, and he's a continued threat to his fellow inmates,” Lindsey said.
In open court, Guzman could be heard asking the judge, "I can't call my family anymore?" to which the judge answered, "When you threaten to murder someone, there are consequences."
Guzman’s been at the jail since October 2022 when a jury found him guilty of aggravated robbery and he was sentenced to 20 years in prison. He wasn't transferred to the Texas Department of Corrections because he's awaiting trail on four additional cases against him."
Prosecutors believe Guzman was planning to kill the prosecutor involved in his trial who is also assigned to the pending cases.
They said it’s still unclear where the shank came from.
"All I can say is thank goodness the sheriff’s department was able to capture that item prior to it getting here,” Lindsey said.
We reached out to the Harris County Sheriff's Office and they confirmed it was one of their detention officers who found the shank but said they couldn't comment any further.
Court records show disciplinary actions were taken by HCSO’s disciplinary board and Guzman lost privileges for 14 days.