Grieving mother speaks out after man accused of murdering her son has bond reduced twice

AUSTIN, Texas - A grieving mother said the justice system is failing her. 

Just months after 18-year-old Andrew Farias was killed at his own graduation party, his mother said the man accused of murder has had his bond reduced not once, but twice.

The backstory:

"I'm angry because my child doesn't get another chance at life, but the person who is accused of taking my son's life, he gets that other chance," Andrew Farias’ mother, Shannon Vasquez said.

Vasquez said her 18-year-old son, Andrew Farias, was just getting started. Farias had just walked across the stage at San Marcos High School and was planning to go to Texas State University and study construction engineering.

"Andrew, you know, until the day he passed, he said, 'Mom, I'm going to make something of myself,' you know, and he was headed up the right road," Vasquez said.

But that road ended just hours after his graduation celebration.

The party of more than 100 people was at a home in Uhland back in May 2025. Court records said at around 1 a.m., the homeowner began asking people to leave. 

Investigators said a fight broke out between two girls and when Farias’ aunt tried to break it up, 18-year-old Chad Lee-Gardner hit her in the head with a pistol. When Farias stepped in to confront him, police said Lee-Gardner fired two shots. Farias was found dead on the lawn.

Lee-Gardner ran but was later arrested and charged with murder. His bond was set at $1 million. Vasquez said that number didn’t stick though.

"I got a call from the victim’s coordinator, just kind of letting me know that Chad's bond was set at $1 million and somewhere in between, then and now there was a bond reduction that I was never informed of," Vasquez said.

She said it was reduced to $350,000 and then again to $200,000.

"When you lower a bond for a murder, it's not just about him, it's about the family and what they're going through and the things that we have to deal with," Vasquez said.

She said getting the call felt like losing her son all over again.

"I feel like they're taking my son's life and I guess degrading it, like it's just absolutely nothing," Vasquez said.

She worries Lee-Gardner will be able to post bond and be released.

"He could be walking the streets again, and yet he has his peace. You know whether it's he comes out with restrictions on house arrest or an ankle monitor, you know, he still gets to sit there and enjoy his life with his parents, you know, sleep on a bed and, and, and I'll never get that back. I'll never get back with my baby," Vasquez said.

The county has not responded to FOX 7’s request for comment.