Austin murder suspect back in prison after bail suspension

AUSTIN, Texas – An Austin murder suspect is back in custody after being released on bail four days after his arrest earlier this month in connection with a cold case from 2021.

Mithovar Antoine Jr., 22, was arrested in Temple on Thursday, Sept. 12, after the U.S. Marshal's Office issued a warrant for his arrest on a charge of first-degree murder.

Antoine is accused of stabbing 23-year-old Nikolas Martinez to death in South Austin on July 23, 2021.

He was taken to the Bell County Jail, where he was released four days later on bail. Bail was set at $150,000 with no conditions attached, despite his lengthy criminal history.

“Typically, in various homicide cases here, we get an average bail of a million dollars,” said Detective Richard Spitler of the Austin Police Department.

The 22-year-old suspect was scheduled to be extradited to the Travis County Jail but was released, leading to a back-and-forth between law enforcement over the appropriate course of action.

“I was surprised too. And I think many others felt the same way. It was a $150,000 bond,” says Spitler.

FOX 7 spoke with a local attorney who commented on the suspect's release last week.

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“I've seen police officers pick up the phone and call the district attorney's office and say, 'I just arrested Gene Anthes and he's on probation in your county for ABC.' You need to file a motion to quash as soon as possible so a new warrant can be issued for his arrest,” says Gene Anthes, managing partner at the law firm GBA.

According to Travis County Jail records, Antoine was back in police custody on Tuesday, September 24, and was charged with felony terroristic threats.

He was taken to jail around 2 p.m. and is being held on $10 million bail.

FOX 7 Austin has reached out to the Travis County District Attorney's Office to confirm whether the recent charges and arrest are related to Martinez's death and is awaiting a response.