Judge doubles Shaw's bail, orders evaluation

The bond for Raymond Shaw, the man charged with shooting an 11-year-old friend of his son's, was doubled to $100,000 yesterday — and following the court hearing, the victim's family said they forgive Shaw for what he did. "We believe in God," Pamela Jones, a cousin of victim Jonathan Dixson, told reporters. "We have to forgive [Shaw] for that. It hurts us. We're hurting deeply, but we have to forgive him."

Shaw, you'll remember, shot Dixson in the back with a shotgun on Sunday afternoon after he came home to find his 13-year-old son, Dixson and some friends to his house to dry their clothes after they were caught in a rain shower. Shaw, who can't speak because of throat cancer, motioned at the boys to leave the house; he told investigators Dixson pushed and cursed at him as he was leaving, so Shaw said he grabbed his shotgun, followed Dixson into the street and shot him. Though he showed little emotion during his hearing Wednesday, Shaw's attorney said he's distraught: "I couldn't tell you whether he's competent to stand trial now," attorney Skip Cornelius told KTRK. "He is very distraught, crying. He can't speak because of his throat cancer that he's had in the past." Cornelius told KHOU that he expects to have to wait a while before he can discuss what happened Sunday with Shaw.

What no one knows yet — and may never really know — is what made Shaw snap and decide to shoot Dixson. Shaw's oldest son, 28-year-old Raymond Shaw Jr., spoke with KHOU and said his father wasn't a violent person: "I just know that my father snapped. He is not like that. He is not a bad person at all," Shaw Jr. said. He reiterated that his father had been depressed over the recent deaths of his wife, his mother and a sister, and the throat cancer only made things worse. In addition to raising Shaw's bail, state District Judge Caprice Cosper ordered Shaw to undergo a 21-day evaluation of his mental and physical health, which could give some insight into the case.

Shaw's next court date is set for June 13, and he has been placed on suicide watch while he's in jail.