Judge Boyd recalls bond-modification hearing for Christopher Ray Munoz, asks state for CPS and custody records

SAN ANTONIO — Judge Stephanie Boyd on Wednesday declined to rule on a defense motion asking that pretrial conditions for Christopher Ray Munoz be relaxed for family contact and broader county travel, and instead recalled the matter to May 27.

The defense sought a modification of Muñoz's special conditions of release to allow supervised contact with minor relatives for upcoming family events and to change his GPS requirement from continuous house arrest to "tracking only," arguing the change would allow him to accept more work and family visits. The state objected, citing the age of the complainants and public-safety concerns.

The request drew testimony from Mary Munoz, the defendant's mother, who said her son has lived at her home since his release on bond in March 2024 and that she believed he would not present a safety risk to minors. Mary Munoz testified that he has worked as a press operator, that he had been compliant with bond conditions and that family members would be available to supervise visits.

Defense counsel Ben Stevenson argued at length that Muñoz had "been on house arrest, basically sentenced to prison in his own home" for more than a year and asked the court to permit a supervised Easter visit and to convert the monitoring to GPS tracking only so the defendant could accept additional work. The prosecutor said the state opposed any change to conditions while the investigation and grand jury process remained unresolved.

Judge Stephanie Boyd said she would not rule without additional information. "I'm not going to rule on your motion. I'm going to recall this, and when we come back, state, you need to decide what you're going to do with this case," she said, and directed the parties to provide documentation at the next hearing. The court specifically asked the state to supply any Child Protective Services (CPS) records or have a CPS caseworker available by Zoom, and requested civil custody documents showing whether any family-law visitation orders had been changed since the allegations.

The judge set the matter for recall on May 27 and said the state must provide an update to the defense by then. She also warned counsel to avoid placing the names or home addresses of minors in public filings or on live streams and suggested redacting or filing motions to seal identifying details already in public motions.

No change to Muñoz's bond conditions was entered at the hearing. The court's order to recall gives the state time to decide whether to present the case to a grand jury and for counsel to obtain CPS and custody records the judge said she would review before ruling on the defense motion.

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