A Galveston County grand jury charged three men this week. Each man is tied to a killing in June. One case moved up to capital murder. That charge can bring the death penalty.

The DA's office says all three killings were tied to domestic abuse. That means violence between partners or family. The grand jury handed down the charges on Tuesday.

District Attorney Kenneth Cusick says his office will not go easy on these cases. The new charges come as abuse reports rise across the county and the state.

The first case is Kristian Jon McMurrin, 21, of Texas City. A grand jury charged him with murder. He also faces a charge for hurting someone with a gun. That charge can mean 2 to 20 years in prison. Police say McMurrin shot two sisters. It happened at the Costa Azul Apartments in Texas City on June 23. Na'Kia Kelley, 24, died from her wounds. Her sister, Amesha Kelley, 22, lived. Police say Na'Kia was shot while she tried to shield her sister. McMurrin's bond is 540,000 dollars. He goes to court Monday. Judge Patricia Grady will hear his case.

The second case is the one that got upgraded. Isaiah Demar Johnson, 38, first faced a murder charge. Police found new proof after his arrest. That proof led the grand jury to charge him with capital murder instead. This charge can mean life in prison with no parole. Or it can mean death. Police say Johnson shot Joanna Walton, 37. It happened in a parking lot at the Harbor Walk Apartments in League City. That was on June 29. Johnson also faces a charge for breaking into a home. He turned himself in to Galveston police. His bond is 360,000 dollars. He goes to court Monday too. Judge Jeth Jones will hear his case.

The third case is Lee Andrew Sims, 73. A grand jury charged him with murder. Police say Sims shot Angela Gray, 42. It happened at a home in the Texas City area on June 25. Sims told a neighbor he shot her in self-defense. But police say a camera caught the truth on video. That video does not match his story. Sims' bond is 250,000 dollars. His next court date is September 14. He will also be in front of Judge Jones.

Kate Willis is leading the fight on all three cases. She runs the county unit that handles crimes against women. Willis says the county has logged almost 1,500 abuse reports since January. About 200 of those turned into felony cases. A felony is a serious crime.

Willis shared some hard facts. She says most people killed by a partner were stalked first. Over 76 out of 100 were followed or watched before they died. She says 85 out of 100 women who survived an attack by a partner were also stalked first. Texas logged more than 96,000 family abuse reports in just six months this year.

"These women, Na'Kia, Angela and Joanna, are all women of this community," Willis said. "There are so many more women like that that we are not looking out for."

Cusick spoke at a news conference back in July. "This behavior is not going to be tolerated," he said. "There's not going to be lenient plea agreements, and there's not going to be coddling of this type of behavior."

All three men are charged. None have been convicted. Under the law, each man is innocent until proven guilty in court. McMurrin and Johnson both go to court Monday. Sims goes back to court in September. The cases will move through the Galveston County courts in the coming months.