Migrant charged with murder of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray was released into US just weeks ago
By: nypost (New York Post)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Police in Houston have arrested two migrants from Venezuela for the murder of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, who was lured away from home, then strangled and dumped in a bayou.
One of the suspects crossed the border illegally less than a month before the shocking murder, and was released into the US after claiming he feared for his life if he was sent back to his home country, sources told The Post.
Johan Jose Rangel Martinez, 21, and Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, 26, were charged Thursday with capital murder.
5The body of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray was found floating in a creek. gofundme5Two migrants were arrested for the alleged death of a 12-year-old girl. KPRC 25Johan Jose Rangel Martinez, 21, and Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, 26, were charged Thursday with capital murder KPRC 2
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sources said Pena Ramos crossed into El Paso, Texas, on May 28. He was released soon after his interaction with border agents.
He told authorities that he planned to live with his cousin in Houston until his court appearance in July, sources said.
Agents put a GPS tracker on Pena Ramos, which was only set to monitor his location for 21 days, sources said.
It's unclear whether he was wearing the tracker when Jocelyn was murdered.
5The two men were identified by Investigators from surveillance footage. Houston Police Department
Investigators identified the suspects from surveillance footage, after they were seen following Jocelyn as she walked into a local convenience store.
Her body was found in a swampy creek on Monday by a Houston resident who happened to be driving by. She told KTRK-TV she thought the girl was a floating mannequin at first.
"I did a U-turn, and I stopped on the bridge, put my flashers on, looked down, and realized it was someone. I parked right here and called 911 immediately," she said.
The two migrants were arrested at a local apartment complex, where they had been living as roommates, cops said.
Homeland Security has opened an investigation into the suspects' immigration histories.
5The migrants were seen following Nungaray walking into a local convenience store. Houston Police Department
The victim's mother, Alexis Nungaray, said her daughter sneaked out of their apartment late Sunday.
She told local outlet KHOU that she was taken "advantage of" by her killers.
"I'm like angry that they took advantage of her. She was so young. She was 12, you took my baby away, you took her away. Now, I get to let her little brother know his older sister is never coming home," she said.
"She turned into a beautiful, beautiful young lady," Alexis said. "I was really looking forward to seeing how she was gonna be and they took every opportunity away from me and my family."
Houston Mayor John Whitmire said Thursday that the Jocelyn's murder affected him personally.
"As a grandfather and a father, it doesn't get any worse," Whitmire said.
"If there is any circumstance where you deny bail, this is it."
Authorities in Houston are still investigating whether Nungaray's killers sexually assaulted her.
Nungaray's story follows a slew of high-profile crimes tied to migrants who entered the country illegally, including the rape of a 13-year-old girl in a Bronx park last week.
The suspect in that case, a migrant from Ecuador, crossed into Eagle Pass, Texas, in 2021 and was ordered removed by an immigration judge the following year, The Post recently revealed.
However, he was never deported.
The man recently charged with the rape and murder of Maryland mom-of-5 Rachel Morin is a Salvadoran alleged gang member who crossed into the US three times in two months and was booted — before apparently entering undetected on his fourth try.
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