Editor’s note: Previously is was reported Ford spent eight years in prison in 2002. Ford was sentenced to eight years deferred adjudication.
MCALLEN, Texas — The suspect in a McAllen woman’s murder case has been charged for kidnapping.
On Sunday, authorities charged Richard Ford, 40, with an aggravated kidnapping charge.
On Friday, Melissa Banda was reported missing and last seen with Ford, her ex-husband.
A police hunt located Ford on South Padre Island Beach Access #5 but Banda still missing.
Authorities arrested Ford for previous arrest warrants, which included harassment and violation of a court order.
Late Friday night, investigators discovered Banda’s deceased body in rural Hidalgo County.
Ford’s bond is placed at $2.5 million. As of Sunday, he remains in jail.
This is not Richard Ford’s first run in with the law.
In 1998, Ford spent 15 days in jail on an assault charge for hitting another man.
In 2002, Ford was charged for attempting to murder someone in a 2001 incident.
Ford was sentenced to eight years deferred adjudication with a $1,000 fine.
Ford had alluded jail for nearly a decade after his release in 2010 until February 2020 when he was arrested for assaulting a family member.
However, according to jail records, Ford posted bond and was released from jail and never faced conviction for this offense.
