‘You Should’ve Told Him Don’t Come Down Here’: No-nonsense Texas Judge Slams Defendant for Trying to Gain Sympathy Points By Bringing Son to Sentencing In Viral Video
A criminal court judge in San Antonio gave a convicted defendant the business after he showed up for sentencing with his young son in tow—apparently hoping the kid’s presence might earn some sympathy points.
Bexar County Judge Stephanie R. Boyd scolded the man for what she apparently saw as a tactic to extract pity from her.
“Who’s this young person here in the courtroom?” she asked right off the bat.
“That’s my son,” the defendant answered quietly, glancing toward the boy and then back to the judge, according to video of the proceedings.
The defendant, who looked like a scruffier version of Jake Paul, with a thick lumberjack beard and a full sleeve tattoo down his left arm, stood blankly as the judge chewed him out.
His expression didn’t change during the stunning rebuke, like he had been there before—just a hard stare and a slight slump in his shoulders, as if bracing for what was coming.
“Okay, why are people bringing children down here when he should be in school?” the judge ranted, clearly having no patience for kid games. “Is school out? Is this an excused day for him to come down and see this person be sentenced?”
Boyd was immediately skeptical of the man’s motives, then lectured him for his decision to bring a child into the courtroom for a criminal sentencing. The defendant stood silent, maybe knowing the safest move was to say nothing at all, because Judge Boyd was going nuclear.
“Why would you bring your child down here to see him be sentenced for committing a crime that your son should not even be around because he’s committed a crime, and according to the police report, he’s a gang member,” she rebuked. “This is somebody that you think is a great person to put in your children’s life?”
It wasn’t clear how old the boy was or if he came to court with another adult, but the judge was in no mood to see a young child in the gallery.
“I don’t understand that. Why are people just staring at me like I’m saying something that is unheard of?” she asked, raising her voice. “And you should’ve told him, don’t come down here, you need to be in school.”
Usually it’s a father doing the scolding—but this time, the tables were turned, and the boy watched as his dad got a good tongue-lashing from the judge.
The defendant stood there quietly, staring ahead as Boyd stayed on his back.
“When you’re out of custody, spend time with your children instead of having them show up and want to be in their life when you’re in court and you need them for sympathy,” she said. “So he can step out of the courtroom, thank you.”
With that, the boy was escorted out—no details given on whether he went to school afterward.
Video of the fiery courtroom drama has since gone viral on Instagram, with the comments section showing a mixed reaction to Judge Boyd’s scorching reprimand from the bench. Many voices praised Boyd for her no-nonsense approach, echoing the point, “We need more judges like her.”
Another person declared, “She is 100% correct.” However, there were just as many people taking aim at the judge for her strong reaction.
“‘Why are people staring at me’? People are staring at you cuz you doing too much!!!” someone said. Another commenter ran to the defense of the jailed man, saying, “He can’t control who shows up for moral support to the court. She’s just yapping cuz she thinks it makes her look cool. The courtroom has seating for a reason.”
But most people voiced support for the judge: “She ain’t do enough. She was right. He want his son to grow up and be nothing just like him and apparently the commenters do too.”
The charges the man faced weren’t laid out in the footage, but the judge’s remarks referenced gang activity and a serious criminal history. Either way, Judge Boyd made one thing clear: this courtroom wasn’t the place for a child to be used as a prop.