A judge in New Jersey ruled that an undocumented immigrant be allowed to leave prison and stay at home after being charged with the murders of 42-year-old Maria Platez and her 11-year-old daughter, Dayanara Cortez.
Raul Luna-Perez, a 43-year-old undocumented immigrant from Mexico, was arrested this month for two counts of vehicular homicide and assault in Lakewood Township, New Jersey.
On July 26, police arrived at the scene of a deadly crash involving Luna-Perez, who reportedly veered into oncoming traffic and collided with two 11-year-old girls.
Maria was pronounced dead at the scene, while Dayanara was rushed to a hospital but later also died. The other 11-year-old girl remains in serious but stable condition at a New Jersey hospital.
Authorities indicated that Luna-Perez’s blood alcohol concentration was three times over the legal limit.
Following the filing of initial charges, Ocean County Superior Court Judge Wendell E. Daniels made a controversial decision to allow Luna-Perez to be released, against the prosecutor’s recommendations. He mandated that he stay home with an ankle monitor, prohibited him from driving, and ordered a substance abuse assessment.
Luna-Perez’s released occurred despite a recent domestic violence complaint against him in 2023, related to the alleged murders of Platez and Cortez, according to the prosecutors.
However, New Jersey’s sanctuary policies prevented him from being detained by ICE agents for deportation.
Shortly after his release, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) took him into custody and placed him in their detention center in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
After being detained by ICE, police charged him again with two counts of aggravated manslaughter and strict liability vehicular homicide.
Prosecutors now seek to keep Luna-Perez in custody until his trial.
