Michael David Combs fled court after a judge revoked his bond, deputies said. (Mug shot from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office)
A domestic violence defendant whose bond was just revoked allegedly used neighboring courtroom chaos — caused when a murder victim’s family murder victim’s family rushed the killer of their teenage daughter — to abscond while no one was looking, prompting a manhunt in Texas.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office is looking for Michael Devon Combs, 32.
He was in court on Tuesday morning for allegedly strangling his ex-girlfriend for dumping him.
The judge revoked his bond — reportedly for using meth and turning off his GPS monitor. Authorities put him in shackles, but he was sitting on a bench when a melee broke out in a nearby courtroom, according to KTRK.
That was when Diamond Alvarez’s mother approached the girl’s killer, Frank Deleon, after delivering a victim impact statement. A bailiff stood in her way, but Diamond’s uncle rushed Deleon from behind, and authorities had to pull him away.
Deleon had pleaded guilty on Tuesday for luring Alvarez to a park near her home and shooting her 22 times. Prosecutors have said that he wanted to silence her after he had cheated on her and keep the infidelity secret from the other girl.
Combs escaped his shackles while deputies left the room to respond to the panic button alarm for the melee in the other courtroom. The sheriff’s Office is investigating how he was able to flee.
“He just walked out,” Harris County Sheriff’s Office Major Lynette Anderson told KTRK.
Anderson said the ex-girlfriend is safe and knows about the escape.
Documents said that Combs’ then-girlfriend picked him up from his mother’s home so he could spend time with her and the children. She told him on the ride back home, however, that they could no longer date. He allegedly became upset, and after they arrived at the apartment complex, he told her to get into a parking space. She refused because she did not plan on staying, and Combs grabbed her car keys out of the ignition and started to walk away from the vehicle.
“Complainant stated she was not able to leave so she start[ed] calling the [missing word],” documents stated. “Complainant stated as she was on the phone, the defendant returned and entered the car again on the front passenger side and grabbed her throat with one hand and squeezed with enough force that it caused her to have difficulty breathing.”
He allegedly punched her in the face and head with his free hand. Combs briefly loosened his grip on her throat, and she managed to bite his hand, but he grabbed her again — her vision began to blur, and her head felt like it was buzzing.
She described the pressure to her neck as “10 of 10,” in the words of the affidavit, and the incident left her with coughing and a headache.
“The Complainant said she thought she was going to die when she was being strangled,” documents stated.
Combs was sentenced in 2019 to two years of deferred adjudication for strangling the same woman.
His mother, Kimberly Combs, told the outlet she heard from him on Tuesday morning, and he said he did not want to return to jail.
“I feel like my child is backed up in a corner,” she said. “He was begging the lawyer to please listen to him and give him a chance.”
She said she has not talked to him since then and wants him to turn himself in safely.
A Harris County sheriff’s spokesperson told Law&Crime on Wednesday that they’ve yet to arrest Combs.
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