A decide in Texas set bond of $10 million Monday for an undocumented Venezuelan man accused of killing a 12-year-old Houston woman whose physique was present in a creek after she disappeared throughout a stroll to a comfort retailer.
Franklin Jose Peña Ramos, 26, is certainly one of two males charged with capital homicide in Jocelyn Nungaray’s dying. The opposite is Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel, 22.
Peña’s bond was set throughout a courtroom listening to by which prosecutors advised state District Decide Josh Hill that he and Martinez-Rangel tried to flee the Houston space after the killing.
The 2 males are Venezuelan nationals who entered the US illegally in March, in line with an announcement Friday from the US Division of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. US Border Patrol close to El Paso, Texas, arrested Martinez-Rangel on March 14 and Peña on March 28. Each had been launched with orders to look in courtroom at a later date.
Immigration is a prime concern for voters, with many saying President Joe Biden hasn’t been doing sufficient to safe the nation’s borders. Earlier this month, Biden unveiled plans to enact speedy vital restrictions on migrants searching for asylum on the US-Mexico border.
Each Peña and Martinez-Rangel are actually below immigration holds by federal authorities, that means they might stay in custody even when they might submit bond. Martinez-Rangel is ready to look in courtroom to evaluation his bond standing on Tuesday.
Nungaray’s physique was discovered June 17 in a shallow creek after police stated she sneaked out of her close by residence the evening earlier than. She was strangled to dying, in line with the medical expert.
The suspects allegedly lured Nungaray below a bridge and remained along with her there for greater than two hours, in line with courtroom paperwork.
Prosecutors allege the lads took off her pants, tied her up and killed her earlier than throwing her physique within the bayou. It doesn’t seem that the 2 males knew the 12-year-old, stated Harris County District Legal professional Kim Ogg.
“Make no mistake, this can be a horrific crime,” Ogg stated throughout a information convention following Peña’s courtroom listening to.
Lisa Andrews, a court-appointed legal professional for Peña, didn’t instantly reply to a name and e-mail searching for remark.
The sufferer’s mom, Alexis Nungaray, remembered her daughter on Monday as somebody who was quirky and “undoubtedly made folks snicker.”
“I’m all the time going to recollect these recollections as a result of she had such a brilliant future forward of her and I knew she was going to go very far,” she stated. “These monsters took that chance from her, from her household.”
Police arrested Martinez-Rangel and Peña, who investigators stated had been roommates, on Thursday. Authorities stated surveillance video confirmed two males approaching Jocelyn Nungaray earlier than strolling to a Houston comfort retailer along with her. The three then walked collectively to a bridge, the place the woman was killed, police stated.
Kelvin Alvarenga, Jocelyn Nungaray’s grandfather, stated Monday that his granddaughter’s dying might have been prevented if the nation’s immigration system had been “redone.”
“I don’t consider that everybody who crosses the border is unhealthy. However inside them, there are some who’re,” he stated. “Why not take some extra time and examine these individuals who come right here?”
Ogg stated the capital homicide costs Peña and Martinez-Rangel face should not dying penalty eligible. But when further DNA testing or different proof exhibits the sufferer was sexually assaulted or kidnapped, the dying penalty could be potential, she stated.
