A neighbor dispute over the weekend ended deadly in southeast Houston.
Seventy-nine-year-old Frankie Vernagallo is at the Harris County Jail and charged with murder after being accused of shooting and killing his neighbor, Jaime Hernandez.
Vernagallo is being held on a $250,000 bond. Hernandez’s family told reporters they want the judge to raise his bond because they fear for their parents’ safety if he bonds out.
“It’s a cry for help. I want justice to be served,” one of Hernandez’s loved ones said. She feared retaliation and didn’t want to be shown on camera.
She described him as kind-hearted. According to Hernandez’s family, he lived with his parents in a home on Kirkglen Drive and helped them.
In tears, his loved ones told reporters they are in horrible pain at the thought of not having him here anymore.
Police said Hernandez and Vernagallo had a disagreement about Hernandez’s dog on Sunday. Vernagallo is accused of shooting Jaime in the chest and killing him out in the front yard.
Only two people know exactly what happened, and one of them did not survive the dispute to tell his side of the story. Jaime’s family says this neighbor feud has been going on since the Hernandez parents moved in nearly two decades ago.
“(Vernagallo) always found a reason to harass them (and) do things to their property. To step over here with a gun, and he would come out here with a little vest that said ‘police department.’ Intimidating them,” a family member said.
According to Harris County court records from 20 years ago, Vernagallo was once employed as a deputy by Precinct 2 before he was ultimately terminated for allegations of wrongdoing.
Court documents show he was unqualified to be a peace officer for his treatment of citizens, co-workers, and others. The Hernandez family told reporters on Monday night that they want Vernagallo to be held accountable for his actions.
Vernagallo’s next court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday at 9 a.m.