The hearing will be held Thursday in the case of Jocelyn Nangaray, a 12-year-old Houston girl who was allegedly killed by two illegal immigrants and left in a creek.
Jim McIngvale, known around the Houston area as “Mattress Mack,” is paying for the funeral and will host a celebration of Nungarei’s life at his Gallery Furniture store. Nungarei was found strangled near a creek last week in a case that has shocked and outraged local officials and raised questions about the Biden administration’s border policies.
Days after the June 16 attack, Harris County prosecutors charged two illegal immigrants from Venezuela, Johan Jose Rangel Martinez, 21, and Franklin Jose Peña Ramos, 26, with murder after authorities said the two lured Nungaray under a bridge and sexually assaulted her for two hours before killing her.
“The evidence is clear that a sexual assault likely occurred,” prosecutors say
Jocelyn Nangaray, 12, was found strangled to death in a creek in Houston. (Courtesy of Fox Houston and the Nungarei Family)
“If she had survived this long, she would have been attending the same high school that both of my children graduated from. This is obviously a heartbreaking story, so I was happy to make the funeral arrangements,” McIngvale told Fox News Digital. “Regardless of how you feel about immigration, illegal or legal, if they weren’t here, she would still be alive.”
Ramos was wearing a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ankle monitor at the time he allegedly killed Nungaray.
Her death comes amid a string of brutal crimes across the country allegedly involving illegal immigrants. Last week, Houston Mayor John Whitmire expressed concern about the ability of Harris County’s criminal justice system to prosecute the two suspects.
“We will be watching you. Arrests have been made, charges have been filed. Now we want the justice system to do its job. If there was ever a situation in which we would not give someone bail, it is now,” he said at a news conference.
Bail for both men was set at $10 million.
The suspected illegal immigrant accused of killing Jocelyn Nangaray was wearing an ice ankle monitor.
Jim McIngvale smiles before throwing the ceremonial first pitch before the game between the Houston Astros and New York Yankees at Minute Maid Park. (Troy Taormina/USA Today Sports)
McIngvale said a murder trial in Harris County could take years, adding that he has been told that by Houston authorities.
“The family has had to attend five or six hearings that have been postponed, postponed and postponed while the perpetrator is laughing and fooling around with his family and his lawyers,” he said. “He’s probably out on bail. It’s madness.”
McIngvale, who frequently helps victims of crimes and natural disasters in the Houston area, said criminals aren’t being prosecuted enough in Harris County, pointing to nearby Montgomery County, where he said criminals are typically held accountable.
Franklin Jose Peña Ramos (left) and Johan Jose Martinez Rangel are charged with the murder of Jocelyn Nungaray in Houston. (Harris County Jail)
“They have video footage of the perpetrators being pursued by police all the way to Montgomery County, and then when they get to Montgomery County, they turn around and go back to Harris County,” McIngvale said. “They want to be arrested in Harris County.”
Following the murder, Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas called for Martinez and Ramos to be sentenced to death if convicted.
Alexis Nungaray, Jocelyn Nungaray’s mother, spoke after Peña Ramos’ court appearance on June 24, 2024. (Crive)
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“This is horrifying and if guilty, these two men should receive the death penalty for this horrific crime,” Cruz wrote on X last week. “These two were illegal immigrants and without Joe Biden’s public support, Jocelyn Nangaray would still be alive and with her family. Border Policy“The Biden administration bears direct responsibility. Our deepest condolences go out to Jocelyn’s family.”
