A Texas man accused of gunning down his Black neighbor, then shooting his girlfriend in a domestic dispute two months later is back behind bars after allegedly threatening to kill the mother of his kids.
On Friday, a judge granted Mark Jabben of Forth Worth a $50,000 bond in the latest incident, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. If he had his way and state law would allow it, Judge Chris Wolfe said he would keep Jabben, 46, in jail without bond.
Mark Jabben, 46, is charged with aggravated assault against a family member with a weapon. (Image courtesy of Fort Worth Police Department)
The hearing came after the defendant’s lawyer, Rob Hayden, filed a motion requesting bond, according the to the newspaper.
In three months, Jabben has faced accusations of violence in three separate incidents. The first came March 25 when the defendant shot and killed his neighbor, Kevin Battle, during a heated dispute. Battle, 57, confronted his neighbor after Jabben allegedly called his grandson a racial slur.
A war of words ensued, and Jabben claimed he shot in self-defense after Battle tried forcing his way inside the defendant’s apartment. Authorities declined to charge Jabben, 46, in the incident, which unfolded in front of Battle’s 5-year-old grandson, after gathering evidence that they said corroborated his self-defense claim.
Battle’s family rebutted the police department’s account of the incident, however, and demanded that Jabben be held accountable.
“We want justice,” Battle’s fiancée, Talydia Adams, told local media at the time. “We want [Jabben] arrested. He left us hurt and we want him arrested now.”
A grand jury will determine if he’ll face charges in the shooting.
Less a month later, Jabben was arrested and charged after shooting his girlfriend, Theresa Ryan, in the shoulder on May 10. He was booked into jail on a count of aggravated assault against a relative with a weapon.
Jabben told police the shooting was accidental, but responding officers said they noticed several injuries to Ryan, including two knots and blood on her head. The victim told authorities that Jabben had pointed a gun at her back and struck her twice in the head with the weapon before opening fire.
The defendant bonded out of jail just few days later.
Then on May 20, the mother of Jabben’s kids told police he arrived to her home in Carrollton, Texas, and threatened to fatally shoot her, prosecutor Dale Smith said.
Jabben’s $4,000 bond was revoked and he was thrown back in jail.
Ultimately, no charges were filed in the incident, as the victims felt that while Jabben was capable of hurting them, “nothing would happen that day,” according to Smith.
Battle’s fiancée, Talydia Adams, expressed disappointment that Jabben was granted bail in the first place, especially considering his history of violence.
“He’s bonding out and I feel like he’s a danger to society,” she told the Star-Telegram. “I just want him in jail, not out where he can do this to someone else … I don’t feel safe.”
Should he post bail, Jabben would be remanded to house arrest, according to the newspaper. He’s since been ordered to have zero contact with any of the three victims and their families.
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