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| -Lurid Crime Tales- | ||
| Travis County DA faces renewed ‘soft on crime' criticism after career criminal charged with murder | ||
| 2026-02-27 | ||
A Texas-based career criminal with a lengthy rap sheet is behind bars in Travis County after he was charged with murdering a father of five outside a 7-Eleven in Austin, reviving scrutiny of Travis County District Attorney José Garza and what critics call his controversial prosecutorial record and "soft on crime" approach. Caleb Anthony Jenkins, described by police as a career criminal, was charged with murder in connection with a shooting last year that left a 25-year-old father dead outside a 7-Eleven. According to Austin police, Jenkins allegedly shot the victim and drove off. But critics argue the killing may have been preventable. Garza’s office previously dismissed or declined to prosecute three separate gun charges against Jenkins in incidents dating back to 2022. He was also arrested in 2023 on a domestic violence charge and failed to appear in court, as Fox News reported. Most recently, he was re-arrested and released after his bond was raised. Taken together, the developments have intensified public criticism of Garza, the Democratic district attorney backed by liberal mega-donor George Soros, Garza, who was elected Travis County DA without prior experience as a prosecutor,
The criticism has sparked national attention in years past. In 2023, the family of 25-year-old Doug Cantor, who was shot and killed in the 2021 Sixth Street mass shooting in downtown Austin, criticized Garza for slow-walking the trial of the gunman. Family members told Fox News Digital in an interview at the time that they believed Garza had put the case on the "back burner." "It's very clear that his focus and attention is not on this case," Nick Kantor told Fox News Digital in an interview reflecting on the two-year anniversary of his brother’s death — and the way Garza, who has been widely criticized for soft-on-crime policies, has handled the case. Current and former local law enforcement officers have criticized Garza's actions and his alleged "war on cops," after the Soros-backed district attorney campaigned on indicting police officers and "reimagining" policing in Austin. Soros contributed $652,000 to the Texas Justice & Public Safety PAC in the months leading up to the 2020 Travis County DA election, according to campaign finance records. That same PAC spent almost $1 million on digital and mail advertisements to help Garza’s campaign, as Fox News reported. The Travis County District Attorney’s Office did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Related: Travis County: 2025-12-26 Gov. Abbott: Crime is Too Important to Be Left to Soros-Backed DAs Travis County: 2025-10-26 Police on scene following reports of a shooting at the Austin Public Library in Texas: One maimed, one tied up Travis County: 2025-09-10 Unearthed emails show left-wing group quietly writing policies for progressive DAs: ‘No billing, no publicity' Related: José Garza 05/17/2024 Texas pardons US Army sergeant Daniel Perry who was convicted of murder José Garza 04/15/2023 ‘Soros-Backed' Texas DA Accused of Evidence Tampering, Witness Retaliation in Army Sgt. Self-Defense Murder Case José Garza 04/10/2023 Austin DA says it's 'deeply troubling' that Texas Gov Abbott wants to pardon Army sergeant convicted of murder | ||
| Posted by:Skidmark |