Lower bond denied in recycling bin strangling
Defense argues Alief man accused of killing woman not a flight risk, but bail held at $260K
A Harris County district court judge on Monday denied a request for lower bail in the case of an Alief man accused of strangling a woman and stashing her in a recycling bin.
Alex Jude Akpan, 24, appeared before the judge on charges of murder and tampering with evidence of a human corpse. He’s accused in the death of Irene Yemitan, 23, who was found in a recycling bin in his bedroom, prosecutors said.
After Akpan’s attorney asked for a lowered bail amount, the judge held Akpan’s bail at $250,000 for the murder charge and $10,000 for the tampering with evidence charge.
Akpan’s attorney said state prosecutors unfairly categorized his client as a flight risk. State prosecutors said they had information Akpan might go to Nigeria, where he has family, but Akpan’s passport has been expired for about 10 years, his attorney said.
A prosecutor in court on Monday said that Yemitan’s car still hasn’t been found and asked for
the bond amount to be raised to $100,000 on the tampering charge.
Akpan was arrested after his mother found a woman’s body in his bedroom in the 9600 block of Wellsworth Drive near Bissonnet and Eldridge Parkway on Sept. 5.
Akpan got a call from his mother and said, “I’m on my way back, I know what happened,” according to prosecutors. He posted bond on the tampering charge before later being booked on the murder charge.
Authorities identified the strangled woman as Yemitan, a student and aspiring beauty stylist. A witness told police that Yemitan and Akpan met at a mall and had been friends for only a few days before she was killed.