Texas: Two Illegal Immigrants Arrested for Murdering 12-Year-Old Girl in Houston
Two unauthorized immigrants apprehended in connection with vicious kidnapping and killing of 12-year-old girl
Two individuals from Venezuela who entered the U.S. illegally have been apprehended and accused in relation to the murder of a 12-year-old girl from Texas. She was found dead by strangulation in a creek near her home in Houston.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reported that Johan Jose Martinez Rangel, 22, and Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, 26, “both unlawfully entered the U.S. without inspection, parole, or admission by a U.S. immigration officer.”
Franklin, 26, had a GPS ankle monitor placed by an ICE agent after crossing at El Paso in Texas on May 28 but managed to remove it by the time they were arrested for the killing of Jocelyn Nungaray.
Johan, 21, was also released following interception by border agents on March 14.
The two men were arrested again on Thursday, June 20, after authorities discovered the body of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray. According to the Houston Police Department, Nungaray’s body was found in a shallow creek around 6:15 a.m. on Monday.
“It was a horrific scene,” stated Houston’s Acting Chief of Police Larry Satterwhite during a news conference Thursday afternoon.
Lt. Stephen Hope mentioned that investigators learned the suspects had dinner together on the night of the murder, which occurred on Sunday. After dining, they left the restaurant and were later observed meeting and speaking with Nungaray for a few minutes.
Later on, Rangel Martinez and Pena Ramos, along with Jocelyn, walked to a 7-Eleven store.
Afterwards, all three walked to a bridge, where investigators believe Nungaray was killed. Rangel Martinez and Pena Ramos then proceeded to return to their shared apartment, leaving the girl’s body behind, as per police reports.
Authorities stated that an investigation by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences determined strangulation as the cause of the girl’s death. They were unable to confirm if there was sexual assault involved.
Mayor John Whitmire addressed the conference, expressing the family’s devastation.
“I want these suspects to face justice,” Mayor John Whitmire emphasized at the conference. “I want them held accountable, and I want it done sooner rather than later.”