'The most dangerous criminal is one who has skipped out on his bond': Suspected killer Trent Paschal dies by suicide

Trent Paschal is believed to have died by suicide in Florida. Paschal was wanted by police for the alleged murder of his wife in October 2020. 

Trent Paschal was accused of fatally shooting Savannah Paschal. According to Savannah Paschal's mother, the event occurred after her daughter told him that she could not live with a repeat criminal such as himself. There is increasing concerns surrounding shootouts in this vein. 

"How many other Trent Paschals are out there?" Andy Kahan, the director of victim services and advocacy with Crime Stoppers Houston, said at a briefing. "Within in the past year there have been six shootouts involving law enforcement officers and wanted felon bond forfeiture defendants. That's just in Harris County."

Officers were hesitant to make a move on Paschal and when they did he was already dead.

"Law enforcement – police officers – know probably the most dangerous criminal is one who has skipped out on his bond, one who has cut his monitor off, one who has evaded law enforcement," Deputy U.S. Marshal Alfredo Perez said. "So, they didn't approach for a while. When they did approach, they found a white male deceased in the van."

Trent Paschal was subsequently shot by Harris County police officers following a short confrontation after the murder of Savannah Paschal. It took him multiple months to recover from the injuries he sustained. According to investigators, Trent Paschal managed to remove his ankle monitor last April and went on the run for over nine months after stealing a car at knife point, according to a report from ABC 13.

Paschal was released from jails in both Harris and Galveston Counties on bond, according to ABC 13. The Florida Medical Examiner for District 5 ruled the 48-year-old Trent Pascal's death a suicide. Prior to his suicide, Paschal was believed to be residing at the Holiday Trav-l Park RV Resort in Ocala. 

ABC 13 reports that Savannah Paschal's family have expressed bitterness at Trent having been let out on bond. Savannah had a 12-year-old son and an 8-year-old daughter.