Teen’s Murder Suspect Freed After Bond Reduction Sparks Outrage from Grieving Mother

A grieving Texas mother is voicing her frustration with the county’s criminal justice system following the release of the man accused of killing her son. Her 18-year-old, Andrew Farias, was tragically shot and killed last year during his high school graduation celebration.

Chad Lee-Gardner, arrested in May 2025, is charged with one count of murder and one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon connected to the shooting. Initially, the court set Lee-Gardner’s bail at $1 million, which seemed to reflect the gravity of the charges. However, this figure was drastically reduced twice, leading to his release.

Farias’ mother, Shannon Vasquez, expressed her dismay last week in an interview with Austin’s Fox affiliate KTBC. She revealed that Lee-Gardner’s bail had been slashed by 80%, and earlier this week, she learned he had posted the necessary amount for release.

“I’m still furious about the situation,” Vasquez shared with the station. “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.”

Vasquez explained that Lee-Gardner’s bond was initially lowered to $350,000 and then further reduced to $200,000. She feels that each reduction in bond diminishes her son’s life, leaving her with a sense that the system is devaluing Andrew’s memory.

“It’s like reliving the day that I got the phone call that Andrew had been shot. It is completely upsetting in every, every way,” she told the station. “I knew just in a matter of days, you know, weeks that there was going to become a time where they, you know, that bond money was, you know, put up and he was going to be released.”

Court documents show Lee-Gardner’s defense attorney argued that his client’s bond amount had been “excessive, oppressive, and … in violation of the U.S. Constitution.”

As conditions of his release, the defendant is required to remain on house arrest and wear a GPS tracking monitor. He is also prohibited from having any contact with the victim’s family.

But the victim’s mother said such conditions are not enough to make her feel safe.

“Being on house arrest and being on an ankle monitor doesn’t mean anything,” she said. “Those are things that you agree to follow rules, and coming from someone who murdered my son, there was a lot of rules in life that he should have followed and he chose not to.”

As Law&Crime previously reported, the shooting took place at about 1 a.m. on Sunday, May 26, 2025, at the home of a relative who was hosting Farias’ high school graduation party. The residence is on Rocky Road in Uhland, about 25 miles south of Austin.

Police responding to multiple 911 calls about a shooting found an 18-year-old male who appeared to have sustained at least one gunshot wound. The victim — later identified as Farias — was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to a report from KTBC, Farias had just graduated from San Marcos High School the previous day and his aunt was throwing a party for him at her home on the night of May 25, 2025. The party reportedly began at around 10 p.m. with more than 100 people showing up over the course of the night.

The homeowner, identified as Farias’ aunt, told police that they started clearing people from the property at about 1 a.m., which is when witnesses said two female partygoers got into a fight.

A witness told police that the fight started because some girls in a group were “making faces” and talking about other girls at the party, leading to a confrontation, which Farias’ aunt tried to break up. At some point during the altercation, Lee-Gardner “jumped in” and struck Farias’ aunt in the head with a handgun. Farias then attempted to intervene, which is when authorities say Lee-Gardner fired two shots, striking Farias at least once.

Authorities reportedly said that the incident was recorded by at least one partygoer and clearly shows that Lee-Gardner was the shooter.

Mariana De Luna, Farias’ girlfriend, told San Antonio Fox affiliate KABB that he died in her arms.

“I’m glad he knew I was with him till the very end,” she told the station.