The Texas district attorney who charged two illegal immigrants with the murder of a 12-year-old Houston girl blamed a “flawed system” that allowed them to commit the murder.
Johan Jose Martinez Rangel, 21, and Franklin Jose Peña Ramos, 26, are charged with murder in connection to the killing of Jocelyn Nungaray, who entered the United States illegally earlier this year.
“They should never have been released when they crossed into El Paso, but our system is broken., “And it ended up with Jocelyn’s death. It’s really painful to think that something like the death of a child could have been prevented,” Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg told KPRC on Thursday.
The suspected illegal immigrant accused of killing Jocelyn Nangaray was wearing an ice ankle monitor.
This week, 12-year-old Jocelyn Nangaray was found strangled to death in a creek in Houston. (Courtesy of Fox Houston and the Nungarei Family)
The two suspects, both Venezuelan nationals, are accused of luring Nungaray under a bridge and sexually assaulting her for two hours before strangling her and abandoning her in a creek. Nungaray’s killing has raised further concerns about migrant identification and the Biden administration’s border policies.
Ogg said the immigration system has been broken for decades and that many Texans have known that for some time.
“We’ve been seeing this here for a long time. What’s different is now we’re not just seeing immigrants from Mexico, we’re seeing people from other countries as well,” she said.
“We have migrants coming in from China, from island nations, from South America, like these people. This is something new. And I think it increases the risk factors for the public here,” Ogg added. “So I’m hopeful that the administration will work together in a bipartisan way to make the border more secure and keep our people safe.”
Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg, who is working to prosecute two illegal immigrants accused of killing a 12-year-old Houston girl, said the immigration system is broken. (Photo by Brett Comer/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
Peña Ramos was arrested. Border Patrol Officer The man entered the country illegally and has since been released from custody. ICE said in a statement to Fox News on Friday that the man “illegally entered the United States at an unknown date and location without being inspected, paroled or admitted by U.S. immigration officials.”
Nungaray’s killing has prompted calls for stronger border security and accountability.
“Our immigration system is broken, and if ever there was a case that reflects that, it’s this one,” Ogg said.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Ogg’s office.
Jocelyn Nangaray murder case: Bail set at $10 million for illegal immigrant suspect in Houston girl’s murder
Ogg, a Democrat, lost her bid for a third term in March to former Harris County District Attorney Shawn Tier, who won a landslide victory in the Democratic primary for district attorney. Tier will face off in November against Dan Simmons, the only Republican candidate in the race.
Meanwhile, crime in the county has become a concern for local and state elected officials.
“Harris County has become a sanctuary for criminals and the responsibility for that lies not only with the Biden administration but also with the District Attorney’s Office,” Texas Rep. Briscoe Cain, a Republican who represents Harris County, told Fox News Digital.
“Harris County has become a sanctuary for criminals and the responsibility for this lies not only with the Biden Administration but also with the District Attorney’s Office.”
Cain also said local criminal court judges “have let the world know that Harris County is a safe place for criminals, both illegal and legal.”
Prosecutors make recommendations, but judges are ultimately responsible for deciding who gets bail and what penalties are imposed, he noted.
Franklin Jose Peña Ramos (left) and Johan Jose Martinez Rangel are charged with murdering Jocelyn Nungaray on Monday, June 17, in Houston, Texas. (Harris County Jail)
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Peña Ramos and Martinez Rangel are being held on $10 million bail each. Nungaray was buried on Thursday.
