A Texas judge has blocked an attempt to keep the murder of Jocelyn Nungaray away from media attention after two Venezuelan migrants accused of her murder sought a gag order against officials and her family.
Franklin Jose Peña Ramos, 26, and Johan Jose Rangel Martinez, 21, who both entered the U.S. illegally at the southern border, are charged with murder after they allegedly lured 12-year-old Jocelyn under a bridge in June, assaulted her for two hours, strangled her and dumped her naked and bound body in a Houston bayou.
Jocelyn's story quickly gained national attention, following a string of high-profile crimes suspected to be linked to illegal immigration.
As a result, Peña Ramos' lawyers requested a protective order to prevent Houston officials from making “out-of-court statements” about the case. According to Fox Newsobtained a copy of that filing.
But during a hearing Wednesday, Harris County Judge Josh Hill ruled not to grant the gag order.
“All we want is a fair trial for our client. We don't want this trial to be politicized. We want an impartial jury, and that's not going to happen with people arguing about the case without facts and evidence,” Mario Madrid said. Martinez Rangel's lawyer said in court Wednesday..
In their initial gag order request, Peña Ramos' lawyers accused Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg of making “numerous statements about this case that go beyond what the prosecutor stated during the probable cause hearing” and of disclosing her past “[M]According to Fox News, the incident was “unquestionably a horrific crime” and that “our immigration system is broken.”
The case has attracted national media attention, but her family has publicly condemned the two suspected immigrant killers.
Jocelyn's family visited the southern border in Arizona with former President Donald Trump last month.
Joseline's mother, Alexis, also testified at a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday, blaming the immigrant “monsters” who allegedly killed her daughter.
“Because of the Biden-Harris administration's open border policy, capture and release policy, they were enrolled in the Alternatives to Detention Program,” Nungarei said of her daughter's suspected killers, “which means they were released into the United States.”
The murder of Jocelyn Republican Senator Ted Cruz plans to introduce a bill that would crack down on the release of illegal immigrants from federal detention facilities.
