DALLAS — A capital murder suspect was on the run for at least 24 hours.
Authorities say he was involved in the murder of a restaurant owner in South Dallas in 2019.
According to police, James William Moore cut off his ankle monitoring bracelet days after a Dallas County judge significantly lowered his bond.
Late Thursday afternoon, the suspect was caught and is back in custody.
In 2019, Brian Harp was gunned down during a robbery at Café Delicious in South Dallas, where he was trying to protect his employees.
“He had a big heart,” said Craig Ferrell, the victim’s friend.
Ferrell was a good friend of Harp, who was the restaurant's owner.
"He didn’t deserve what had happened to him," Ferrell said.
Moore was charged with capital murder and is accused of acting as a look-out that day.
“He played an active role in this heinous act, and he’s culpable just like the person who pulled that trigger,” said Mike Mata from the Dallas Police Association.
Moore has been awaiting trial for three years.
“The prosecution said they weren’t ready for trial again, so the judge drastically lowered his bond down,” said Mata.
Last week, Dallas County Judge Ernest White lowered Moore's bond from $500,000 to $1,000.
The Dallas County District Attorney’s Office says, in certain cases, by law a judge has to lower a bond.
Then on Wednesday, police say the 31-year-old cut off his ankle monitoring bracelet.
A police source tells WFAA the moment the ankle monitoring bracelet was cut off, an activation went off, notifying police. That’s when the fugitive unit, Marshal Task Force, and Dallas police ended up tracking him down at an apartment complex off of Audelia and Walnut Hill, where they say he was hiding out.
“They go to places they’re familiar with, friends that will help them,” said Mata.
Now that Moore is back in custody, it brings some relief for Ferrell, who will never get to see his beloved friend again.
“Justice will be served. be patient. It’s all in the lords’ hands,” said Ferrell.