Capital Murder Suspect Booked Into the Tom Green Co. Jail

SAN ANGELO, TX – A capital murder suspect has been moved from Taylor County's Jail to the Tom Green County Jail.

According to court documents, on Nov. 18 at 12:12 p.m., Francisco Morales, 18, of Abilene, was booked into the Tom Green County Detention Facility for capital murder by terror threat/other felony.

Morales has been in the Taylor County Jail since his original arrest back in May of 2021. At the time of his arrest Morales was in Abilene but his warrant for capital murder was issued out of Tom Green County for the role he played in the murder of Jacob Hernandez. 

Hernandez was killed when he was shot in the chest during a home invasion at the Nueva Vista Apartments. For more see: San Angelo Man Indicted on Capital Murder Charge Arrested in Abilene

Morales was indicted for the murder in Sep. 2021. He was originally assign court appointed attorney Shawntell McKillop but has since retained a lawyer out of Abilene named Byron William Hatchett. Typically during a capital murder case defendants are assigned attorneys from the Regional Public Defender's Office for Capital Cases. 

AS of Nov. 21 Morales remains in the TGCDF with a $500,000 bond.