Nov. 5, 2024
Caitlynne’s Story: Domestic Violence, Legal Failures, and the Fight for Caitlynne’s Law I Ep. 45
Can a legal system meant to protect endanger lives instead? In this episode of the 1 in 3 Podcast, Ingrid explores the tragic story of Caitlynne, whose life was taken by her husband, Alex Daniel Guajardo, despite his documented history of abuse.
Through the lens of bail reform, we examine how the presumption of innocence and personal recognizance bonds can clash with public safety, sometimes with devastating consequences. Caitlynne’s mother, Melanie Infinger, shares her journey from grief to activism, fighting to enact Caitlynne’s Law to strengthen protections for survivors and prevent similar tragedies.
🎧 In this episode, you’ll learn:
- How bail reform can affect domestic violence survivors
- The risks of releasing violent offenders with personal recognizance bonds
- Advocacy strategies for legal reform and public safety
- Turning personal loss into systemic change
- Lessons for families, lawmakers, and communities
Caitlynne’s story is a chilling reminder of the urgent need for reform, the resilience of grieving families, and the importance of advocacy in preventing future domestic violence tragedies.
Sources:
https://www.fox26houston.com/news/pasadena-man-sentenced-two-life-sentences-plus-10-years-fatally-stabbing-pregnant-wife
https://www.harriscountyda.com/pasadena_man_sentenced_to_two_life_sentences_plus_10_years_for_fatally_stabbing_pregnant_wife
https://x.com/KHOU/status/1848844026687934526
http://www.caitlynneslaw.org/
https://www.khou.com/article/news/crime/caitlynne-guajardo-killer-sentenced/285-2b944b42-cd71-47b4-84c0-bb5633d7d2c5
https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2024/10/22/pasadena-man-who-killed-his-pregnant-wife-sentenced-to-2-life-terms/
https://www.khou.com/article/news/crime/caitlynnes-law-texas-bill-harris-county-bond/285-8b18871d-78b7-446e-a534-c761dc2b33b4
https://austin-criminallawyer.com/travis-county/jail/release/what-is-a-pr-bond/#:~:text=Bond%20in%20Texas,counties%20do%20not%20offer%20it.
https://advancingpretrial.org/pretrial-justice/the-pretrial-status-quo/what-is-bail-reform/#reform-act
1 in 3 is intended for mature audiences. Episodes contain explicit content and may be triggering to some.
If you are in the United States and need help right now, call the national domestic violence hotline at 800-799-7233 or text the word “start” to 88788.
Contact 1 in 3:
- Send your emails to 1in3podcast@gmail.com
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Thank you for listening!
Cover art by Laura Swift Dahlke
Music by Tim Crowe
00:00 - Bail Reform and Domestic Violence Tragedy
08:11 - Healing Through Advocacy
WEBVTT
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Hi Warriors, welcome to One in Three.
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I'm your host, ingrid.
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During my interview with bail attorney Ken Good in episode 34, we briefly discussed a case involving the untoward results of bail reform.
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Today I delve further into the details of that want to recap some of the information Ken and I discussed back in March.
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The United States Constitution strongly maintains innocence until proven guilty.
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The goal is therefore to allow freedom to offenders while awaiting trial.
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Of course, in certain circumstances that would be negligent at best.
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That would be negligent at best.
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Therefore, judges are allowed to impose certain conditions to ensure the offender remains behind bars or, if released, returns to court.
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These conditions may include monetary assurance, known as bonds, supervision or location surveillance.
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Bail is a process of releasing offenders while awaiting trial using any of those conditions I just mentioned.
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Most people, however, understand bail to be synonymous with just monetary bonds.
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Anyway, bail reform was introduced with the thought that cash bail release can be discriminatory.
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If an offender is of lower socioeconomic status, they would not be able to meet the monetary bond amount.
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If you want to get further details regarding this topic, I'm going to refer you back to Ken's episode, because he obviously does a much better job explaining it than me.
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So now on to Caitlin.
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She was married to Alex Daniel Guajardo, and shared one child with him in their Pasadena Texas home.
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She was 17 weeks pregnant with their second.
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The family was looking forward to finding out the gender of the new baby.
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Life behind closed doors was not a happy one for the couple, though.
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Alex had been known to beat his wife, melanie Infinger.
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Caitlin's mother had pleaded with her daughter to report the abuse to the police.
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With one DWI driving while intoxicated offense already under his belt already under his belt, alex was arrested again in May 2019 for yet another DWI, as well as a hit and run, when, in front of the judge, he was released on a personal recognizance or PR bond.
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A PR bond is more or less a promise and falls into that bail reform I was just talking about.
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Once a court verifies the offender's information, such as legal residence and occupation, they may be considered for a PR bond.
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This offers an opportunity for the individual to provide their signature promising to return to court on their scheduled date to face their charges.
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They are then released with a $0 or small administrative fee.
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I want you to pay particular attention to this next part.
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The judge is also to take prior offenses, degree of crime charged with, either violent or non-violent, and flight risk into consideration prior to granting a PR bond.
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As Alex's DWI charges were minimal, it seemed to be a fair determination to release him.
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Alex didn't maintain good behavior, however.
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In fact, it wasn't long after his DWI charge that he was arrested again.
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This time, his offense was for something that held a little more weight.
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He had brutally beaten his pregnant wife, which included punching her in the face.
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He had also tortured and killed her cat.
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Finally, conceding to her mom's wishes, caitlin called the police, filed a report and had her husband arrested.
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Melanie begged her daughter to pack necessities and bring her eight-month-old daughter along to stay at her home.
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Despite the arrest of her son-in-law, melanie remained concerned for her daughter and granddaughter's safety.
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Caitlin wasn't phased, though.
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She knew the legal system was supposed to help victims.
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She believed she was safe.
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The legal system was supposed to help victims.
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She believed she was safe, and why wouldn't she?
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This man would be presented to a judge with a pending felony and three misdemeanor charges.
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Surely he wouldn't be leaving the jail anytime soon.
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But Caitlin was wrong.
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On August 3rd 2019, alex was released on another PR bond, just 17 hours after his arrest.
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Now, what do you think this man with a prior history of domestic violence and utter disregard for human or animal life would want to do as soon as he was free?
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Your gut is probably telling you something you hope isn't true.
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Well, alex immediately returned to the home he shared with his 20 year old wife and daughter.
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He did not want someone else to have the opportunity to raise his unborn child and he certainly couldn't let Caitlin's disrespect to him go unpunished.
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He stabbed Caitlin 20 times deliberately in her stomach, assuring the murder of both his wife and his baby.
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Following this arrest, he was not released on bond.
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Within two months of being in jail, alex was found with two shanks or makeshift knives.
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One was in his sock and one was in his cell.
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Possession of a lethal weapon in a penal institution is a third-degree felony.
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Penal institution is a third-degree felony.
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Alex decided to accept a plea deal and pleaded guilty to two counts of murder in exchange for the possibility of parole.
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His sentencing actually was just a few weeks ago.
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He was given two life sentences for murder and 10 years for possession of the shanks, all to be served concurrently.
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He will be eligible for parole after 30 years.
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I hate presenting yet another tragic ending with disappointing legal actions.
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But I wanted to highlight the warrior that emerged.
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Melanie Infinger refuses to let the murder of her daughter and unborn grandchild be in vain.
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She is working with Pasadena Police Chief, paul Brugger, and President of the Houston Police Officers Union, Joe Gamaldi, to get Caitlin's Law passed into Texas legislature.
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Texas Senator Paul Betancourt is a sponsor of Caitlin's Law.
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Caitlin's Law would require judges to stop issuing PR bonds to suspects who already had one and set a minimum bond of $10,000 for anyone who's had three or more felony charges.
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Why would Melanie take this on while trying to heal from her personal tragedy?
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In her words, quote In a million years I never expected to be getting involved in something like this, but I can't rest knowing I didn't at least try to help.
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If I can save mothers from this debilitating grief, it will be worth the long fight ahead.
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End quote.
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Endure a nightmare from which we can never awaken ever since the system failed.
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Caitlin and her unborn baby.
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End quote.
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Thank you for listening.
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Sources for today can be found in the show notes.
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I will be back with another episode for you.
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Until then, stay strong and wherever you are in your journey, always remember you are not alone.
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Follow 1 in 3 on Instagram, facebook and Twitter at 1in3podcast.
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To help me out, please remember to rate, review and subscribe.
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1 in 3 is a .5 Pinoy production Music written and performed by Tim Crow.
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© transcript Emily Beynon.
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