ODESSA, Texas — A couple charged with murdering an 8-year-old girl in Odessa will not get a bond reduction.
Ashley and Daniel Schwarz were the legal guardians of Jaylin Schwarz. According to the arrest affidavit in August of 2020, Jaylin died from dehydration after she was forced to jump on a trampoline without stopping and without food or water as 'punishment.'
The couple, who was arrested on a capital murder charge, have a bond set at $600,000 each. On Wednesday, their defense attorneys asked Judge Tom Shrode if their bonds could be reduced to around $100,000.
But Judge Shrode decided to leave the bond where it is at.
The Judge says his decision is based strictly on the indictment, which explains what Jaylin Schwarz's life was like before she was allegedly murdered by the couple who had legally adopted her.
In August of 2017, when Jaylin was just 5 years old, her biological mother Alysha Anderton gave up her parental rights. Anderton is Ashley Schwarz's stepsister.
Arrest affidavits for the Schwarzes illustrate how it was common for the family to use the trampoline as a form of punishment for misbehaving.
It also appears a second child, unnamed in the affidavit, was also being punished this way.
That child was able to go back inside the house while Jaylin continued to be kept outside in 100-degree weather, without food or water.
Their defense attorneys told the court the two were not a risk to the community, have no prior arrests would not pose a flight risk.
But Judge Shrode decided to not change the bond. That means the couple will remain at the Ector County Jail until their next hearing.
As to when that is, a date has not been set yet.
Daniel’s defense attorney, Michael McLeish, requested the court grant the defense attorneys the financial means to hire an additional pathologist who can go over the autopsy before this case is presented to a grand jury.
That motion has not yet been filed.