SAN ANTONIO – A 13-year-old boy accused of planning a mass attack at Rhodes Middle School earlier this year will remain in custody, a Bexar County judge ruled on Thursday.
At his detention hearing, the judge said that the teen will remain in custody and continue receiving mental health services.
His next detention hearing is set for Aug. 21. The teenager’s next court date will be Aug. 28, according to court records.
The teen was arrested in May after San Antonio police said he showed up to Rhodes Middle School campus wearing a mask, a camouflage jacket and tactical pants. While he was initially taken into custody on a terrorism charge, the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office has only formally charged him with possession of a prohibited weapon.
His mother, Ashley Pardo, is also facing charges in connection with the case.
The teen’s grandmother told the court on June 24 that she believes the child was manipulated and abused while living with Pardo.
Aside from her charge of aiding in commission of terrorism, Pardo was arrested last week on a charge of abandoning or endangering a child with criminal negligence, according to a warrant obtained by KSAT.
The teenager’s father, Mario Porras, was arrested by San Antonio police in May 2025 on the same charge of endangering a child with criminal negligence, according to an arrest affidavit.
In June 2024, Porras pointed a pistol at his son, the Rhodes Middle School attack suspect, in his bedroom, according to Porras’ arrest affidavit.
Porras placed his pistol on a table near his son on multiple occasions, according to the affidavit. Porras is also accused of throwing the then-12-year-old around, slapping his head and punching him.
The son told police in April 2025 that his father was aware of the son self-harming himself. According to the affidavit, at one point, his father suggested to the son that if he was going to cut himself, then “he needed to do it deeper.”
Later in April, the teen was later found researching a mass shooting in New Zealand on a school computer, SAPD Chief William McManus said. He had “described a fascination with past mass shooters,” according to the teen’s arrest affidavit.
He was suspended from school and attempted to die by suicide the same day, according to the chief.
Jail records show Porras bonded out of custody on May 18.
Court records indicate that Pardo was released on bond on Monday. The conditions of her bond require her to wear an ankle monitor and not be in possession of alcohol or firearms.
The conditions of her bond requires her to wear an ankle monitor and to not possess any alcohol or firearms.
Despite the grandmother’s plea for the teen’s release into her care, a judge ordered that Pardo’s son remain in custody.
Newly released court documents have also shed light on the teen’s criminal history. The state’s Fourth Court of Appeals recently ruled that he must face a retrial in connection with a 2023 arson case that ended in a mistrial in 2024.
The teen — who was 11 years old at the time — is accused of setting fire to dumpsters at the Barcelo Apartments complex near the Interstate 10-Loop 410 interchange.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health or thoughts of suicide, call 988 or text TALK to 741-741.
You can also reach out to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) or the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) at 210-223-7233 (SAFE) or 800-316-9241. You can also text NAMI to 741-741.
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