One of the illegal immigrants accused of killing 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray is reportedly believed to be the son of a former Venezuelan government official who is a staunch supporter of the country’s socialist president.
Authorities say Johan Jose Martinez Rangel, 22, along with an accomplice, Franklin Jose Peña Ramos, 26, are accused of strangling the minor to death in Houston last month. The Houston Forensic Center confirmed that the minor had been sexually assaulted prior to her brutal death.
Martinez Rangel, who was arrested last month, is reportedly the son of Nazareth Rangel Palacios, a former congresswoman from the United Socialist Party of Venezuela. According to the Daily Mail.
According to the media, Palacios is also a supporter of President Nicolas Maduro.
The South American country’s electoral roll shows that Martinez Rangel and Rangel Palacios live at the same address in San Juan de los Moros, the Daily Mail reported. A childhood friend contacted by the newspaper also reportedly confirmed his identity.
“He was a childhood friend and I’m so sad that he did that,” Lias Brandt told the magazine.
The Washington Post has not been able to independently verify the family relationships of the murder suspects.
Emails and calls left with the court-appointed attorney who represented Martinez Rangel at his bail hearing were not returned Tuesday evening.
Martinez Rangel crossed the southern border into the United States in March and was released from the monitoring program in May because he had no criminal history and checked in, sources previously told The Washington Post.
According to court documents, he and Peña Ramos allegedly lured Nungaray under a bridge where they severely assaulted and killed her. Nungaray’s body was discovered on June 17.
The Houston Forensic Science Center confirmed that Nungarei had been sexually assaulted before she was killed. KTRK reported.
Both men have been charged with murder and are currently incarcerated.
After the girl’s funeral on Thursday, her family called on the Biden administration to close the border.
“I used to have sympathy for immigrants, but since this happened I’ve changed my mind about who we allow in and who we don’t,” Christine Nunez, a cousin of Nungaray’s grandmother, told The Washington Post at the memorial.
“I’m not saying everyone is bad. There are good people. But we need to close the borders and not let everyone in, and we need to test every single person.”
