Courtroom ERUPTS After Judge’s Shocking Sentence for Violent Teen
Hodgetwins dissect a Texas courtroom eruption where Judge sentences 19-year-old Fontenelle to 25 years in the Institutional Division for aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon. Rejecting probation despite defense arguments citing his recent GED and family ties, the judge cited violent jail conduct and a Presentence Investigation report, denying credit for time served while admonishing him regarding firearm possession. The audience's shocked reaction underscores a fierce community debate over whether such harsh penalties effectively deter violence or simply reflect public outrage over weaponized crimes in neighborhoods like Rogers Park. [Automatically generated summary]
Transcriber: CohereLabs/cohere-transcribe-03-2026, sat-12l-sm, and large-v3-turbo
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Life Sentences vs Probation00:08:06
Okay, so this is a young guy right here, late teens, early 20s.
He did some heinous stuff, so now he's before the judge.
He threw himself at the mercy of the court, but the judge lays down this crazy sentence, right?
Good.
And the family in the background lose it.
Oh, he's facing, he's being held accountable.
Yeah, check this out.
This is what all judges should do.
You know, we've got options here.
We can send him to prison or we can put him on probation.
Certainly, he's on the road.
With if this conduct continues, he's on the road to prison.
I don't know that the day is the best time to make that exit for him.
It is, you know, he's got a long life to live.
We can send him to prison, he can be there for a few years and come back out.
I don't know that he's going to get the help that he really needs in prison.
There are programs available on probation that, if he's serious about turning his life around, like he says in the PSI, those programs can help him.
And if he does take advantage of those, it in turn would make the community a little bit safer because it'd be one less guy could run around with a gun when he does get out of prison if that were the road that you chose to save.
Planned on living at home with his mom.
I think he has some younger siblings there.
To his benefit, before he was even arrested, he started a GED.
I think on the night that this happened, he had just finished a GED class and made a dumb decision to go hang out with these guys that he should not have been hanging out with and did this robbery.
Again, Judge, you've got two options.
You can send him to prison or you can try to get him some help on probation.
And hopefully he will take advantage of that.
And certainly if he doesn't, we're going to know pretty quick and you'll have another chance to.
Send them to prison probably for a longer time.
All right.
Thank you.
What is the status of the other two?
Are there co defendants?
Have they been charged?
They have been charged, Judge, and I have both of their cases.
And they have not been sentenced yet or anything like that.
Okay.
All right.
Go ahead, Mr. Pullman.
Yeah, I'll be brief.
Whether it's the Pine Club Apartments or Rogers Park or a Speedy Mart, you've seen this and we've seen this in this community all too often.
I'm preaching to the choir, Judge.
Prayer vigils and advisory committees, all that stuff's fine, but you judge where the rubber meets the road.
You are that person that can protect the community from somebody like this defendant.
You are that person that can either let him walk out of this courtroom on probation with a piece of paper, with conditions and promises that he won't resort to this kind of violence that you saw on that video, or you can ensure that the community is safe by putting him behind steel bars, concrete wall, and razor Wire fence.
I'm just asking.
I'm not in the habit of begging, but on behalf of this community, I'm begging that you send this defendant to prison.
The message that needs to be sent to this defendant and his circle of friends and anybody who would want to be like this defendant is that if you pick up a gun with the intent to commit violence, you're going to pick up a 15, 20, 25 year prison sentence, Judge.
And I'm just asking that you do this on behalf of people who live at the Pine Club Apartments who just want to live at peace, people who want to go take a walk at Rogers Park and not be robbed, and somebody that wants to stop at a Speedy Mart convenience store and pick up some snacks without becoming a victim of a robbery.
That's all I have, Judge.
Thank you, Mr. Coleman.
So, Mr. Fontenelle, there was a time some years ago that there really wasn't even a question.
Everyone, state's attorneys were recommending youthful offenders, probation, let's give everybody an opportunity.
And things have just changed in such an incredibly dangerous way with young people doing what I just saw you do on that screen.
I cannot imagine the fear.
That person had that was working in that store that he now has just trying to go to work, make a living, and go home.
And he has three people come in and not just grab a little quick something and run out, but terrorize him for quite some time, pulling him around, yanking him around, putting guns in his face.
All three of you.
I also, in addition to the PSI, get jail incident reports.
And you apparently like to fight and jump people, which is what's been happening in the jail.
So it makes it very difficult for me to go, oh, this is somebody that's going to get out and behave who can follow the rules because you can't even follow the rules in jail.
And the pre sentence report shows that you're a high risk level, which tells me that after they've looked at everything, that You don't have, unfortunately, a good likelihood of being successful if I were to put you on probation.
And Mr. Coleman's right.
We're tired of it.
And there's got to be something done.
So, in cause number 25, DCCR 1759, I'm going to find that you entered your plea of guilty freely and voluntarily.
I'm going to find sufficient evidence to find you guilty.
And at this time, I'm going to find you guilty of aggravated robbery.
I'm going to sentence you to a term of 25 years in the institutional division.
Well, we know where he gets it from.
I'm going to sentence you to a term of 25 years in the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Corrections.
You won't receive credit on that sentence for any time that you've been in custody, the law gives you the right to receive.
I'm handing you the trial court certification.
This was not an agreement.
You have some rights to appeal.
I have also handed you a written admonishment regarding your ineligibility to possess a firearm or ammunition.
Because of the judgment entered against you, you're ineligible under Texas law to possess a firearm or ammunition.
Possession of a firearm or ammunition.
Who stands like that?
A criminal.
Yeah.
It leads to charges against you.
You can talk to Mr. Rojas about any questions you have about that.
I am making an affirmative finding of a deadly weapon.
Mr. Fontenet, I understand that this is harsh, and I know you believe this is harsh, but I think this is necessary.
I hope that you go and you make things right.
You can get out of prison.
You're still going to be young and you can make your life better.
That's going to be up to you, okay?
You can go back with the bailiff.
Well, that was a little harsh, Kevin.
25 years?
Yeah, 25 years.
Armed robbery?
People unallow people that don't get that long.
That's not right either.
Two wrongs don't make a right.
I agree with you.
I mean, but that's a fair sentence.
You rob somebody, stick a gun in their face and terrorize them.
Yeah, you should at least get 15 years.
She gave him what, 25?
Yeah.
Yeah, that's a good sentence.
That's a good sentence.
25 years?
That'll teach you.
I bet you won't be robbing nobody.
That's the first sentence, Keith.
And people that unalive people, life.
If you unalive somebody doing a robbery, you should get life.
Oh, that's life.
Yeah, but if you get upset and you come home early from work and you find your wife and she's just getting, I mean, her legs are spread wide open and dude is just drilling her and you snap and you end both of their lives, that's life.
What are you talking about?
I'm just saying.
This dude robbed a convenience store.
What are you talking about?
I'm tired of these judges being lenient.
Like, you take someone's life.
Yeah.
Dangerous Plans and Leniency00:01:21
That perfect scenario I just laid out in front of you.
That wasn't first degree, but you get life.
Now, if you plan on killing somebody.
Oh, you're getting fried.
Now, let me.
No, you plan it and you do it.
Oh, I'm frying.
Yeah, like, listen.
I'm doing green mile on you.
No sponge or nutty.
You're frying.
Yeah.
Take that same scenario.
You catch your wife cheating on you, right?
But you know they've been cheating.
So you plan it you wait for him to come over so you can take both of them out.
That's first degree you green mile no sponge Yeah, but she didn't have to give him 25.
I He's gonna do is I know I know the dude took a weapon.
Yeah, I know what it what this this do what 1920 could you imagine doing that at our age?
No, I couldn't I couldn't imagine it because you know I have a conscience this dude's an animal.
He doesn't have a conscience.
You don't think he can change nope You 19 years old going in the quickie mark Put the gun in somebody's face and tear up.
You think you can fix that?
You think probation is going to fix that?
You got to lock him up.
Maybe he has a chance.
He's going to get out in probably like 15.
Yeah, yeah.
But yeah, he's going to, you got to protect the public at this point.
Yeah, that meant he's dangerous.
Yeah.
No probation.
They are honestly contemplating putting him back on the streets with probation.