By T.J. Aulds
The Daily News
Published September 5, 2010
TEXAS CITY — Christopher Allgood, accused of killing a Texas City woman and suspected in the deaths of her young daughter and a friend in a brutal 2009 triple shooting in San Antonio, is set to go to trial next week, Bexar County court officials said.
Allgood, also a Texas City native, is charged with killing his girlfriend, Courtney Gass, and with illegally discharging a firearm.
Bexar County prosecutors have not sought charges in the shooting deaths of Gass’ daughter, Anika, 2, or Kevin Bones, 35, who was visiting Gass and Allgood in San Antonio.
Allgood remained in the Bexar County Jail on $205,000 bond and is scheduled to be in court Sept. 13.
Bones’ mother said she was outraged that no additional charges had been filed in the 14 months since the shootings in an apartment Allgood and Gass shared.
“It tells me the San Antonio Police Department and the (Bexar County District Attorney’s Office) are incompetent,” Pat Bones said.
Gass’ father, Dale Gass, said he heard from investigators about two months ago.
“The last they told me was they would come down here and do some investigation here,” Gass said. “I’ve never heard if they came here or not. They did say they planned to send folks down. I’m still waiting to hear back.”
The Texas City Police Department never was informed of any visits from out-of-town investigators, which would have been routine, Chief Robert Burby said.
Allgood told a San Antonio TV station he shot Gass after she killed their child and Bones. At the time, police said they did not have evidence to support that claim and were waiting for forensic tests to help determine who was responsible for the other shootings.
“We have a situation where there isn’t basically physical evidence connecting him to the shooting of the other two individuals,” Christopher DiMartino, the lead prosecutor on the case, said.
“It’s not a question of believing Courtney Gass did the shooting. It’s just having sufficient evidence to prove the case against him.”
DiMartino did not indicate what forensic tests revealed but said the tests were done. Also missing from the evidence is eyewitness testimony or a confession.
“We anticipate that he’s not going to accept accountability or responsibility for shooting the other two,” DiMartino said. “It’s not to say that the police department has given up.”
San Antonio police did not return phone calls or e-mails last week. Calls to Allgood’s defense attorney also were not returned.
Bones said authorities had not provided her with updates about the investigation since the initial weeks after the July 5, 2009, shootings. She was unaware a trial date had been set until contact by The Daily News.
DiMartino said he anticipated the trial date would be reset because the court’s docket likely had older cases that would take priority. He hoped to get to the case as quickly as possible.
When there is a trial, Bones said she plans to be there, even if Allgood is not charged with her son’s slaying.
Gass said he hasn’t given up that Allgood eventually will stand trial for killing his grandchild.
“I haven’t given up on that yet,” he said. “I will wait and see and depend on justice to be done.”
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