Immigration authorities say at least one of three suspects arrested in connection with the shooting death of a tour guide in New Orleans’ French Quarter is an illegal immigrant with a criminal record in the United States.
The immigration status of the other two suspects was not immediately clear.
New Orleans police arrested 19-year-old Joshua Bonifacio Avila, 17-year-old Jerven Albarek and 15-year-old Kevin Nunez on the morning of June 30, the day after 43-year-old Christy Thibodeau was killed inside her car on St. Peter Street.
Nunez is accused of pulling the trigger, and Aviara Bonifacio, a Honduran national, is suspected of entering the country illegally, Immigration and Customs Enforcement told Fox News Digital.
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A selfie posted by Christy Thibodeaux on her Facebook page. A popular French Quarter tour guide was shot and killed in a car in New Orleans. Three teenagers have been arrested. (Christy Thibodeau/Facebook)
“On May 11, 2019, U.S. Border Patrol encountered Bonifacio near Hidalgo, Texas, and determined he was inadmissible to the United States under the Immigration and Nationality Act,” a spokesperson for Immigration and Customs Enforcement said. “Bonifacio has been arrested multiple times for theft and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Since February 2024, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office has arrested Bonifacio for five local violations.”
The immigration status of the other two suspects was not immediately clear because ICE does not have jurisdiction over minors.
The agency’s Enforcement and Removal Operations Unit (ERO) has filed a detention request for the suspects.
Crowds in the French Quarter during Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 2013. Mardi Gras in the French Quarter was one of Christy Thibodeau’s favorite experiences, according to her online obituary. (iStock)
According to New Orleans police, the murder occurred as part of an armed robbery around 4:30 a.m. on June 30. Police arrested all three suspects on July 1. The Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office identified Thibodeaux as the victim on July 2.
Police are asking anyone with information about the incident to contact homicide detectives at 504-658-5300.
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Nunez had an outstanding arrest warrant at the time and was wearing an ankle monitor, according to New Orleans-based reports. Fox 8.
Pictured in an arrest warrant photo is Joshua Aviara Bonifacio, a Honduran national who is one of three suspects charged with the murder of Christy Thibodeau, a 43-year-old New Orleans woman who worked as a tour guide in the French Quarter. (Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office)
According to ICE, Aviara Bonifacio had a criminal history, including arrests for theft and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and also used the alias Joshua Avila.
“This man should never have been in Louisiana,” Gov. Jeff Landry wrote to X. “Enough is enough. We must close our borders and keep our communities safe.”
WVUE-TV reported that Nunez’s criminal history in the US includes seven counts of aggravated assault, unlawful possession of a handgun and domestic violence. Despite this, Chief Juvenile Judge Candace Bates Anderson sentenced Nunez to house arrest.
During Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Louisiana, Bourbon Street fills with people. According to an online obituary, Christy Thibodeau spent years leading tours and enjoying the live music culture in the city’s popular French Quarter tourist spot before being killed in an attempted robbery on St. Peter Street when three young men approached her with guns while she was sitting in her car. (iStock)
He was allegedly in breach of the rules in May but was allowed to roam freely without real-time digital monitoring because his ankle monitor was turned off, the outlet reported.
The Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office could not immediately be reached for comment before business hours Thursday.
Then-Louisiana Attorney General and now Governor Jeff Landry speaks at a press conference in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., Monday, September 9, 2019. Landry called for an end to open borders without security measures this week after authorities revealed that at least one of the teenage murder suspects in a New Orleans murder case is an illegal immigrant. (Andrew Haller/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“In the absence of guardrails from OJJ and the OPJC, we as a city must seriously consider suspending electronic monitoring until we are confident in administrators’ ability to actually provide monitoring and in judges’ accountability to ensure actual accountability for young defendants’ violations and non-compliance,” prosecutors said in a statement to local media.
Jerben Albarek, 17, is one of three teenage suspects charged with the murder of French Quarter tour guide Christy Thibodeau, 43. (Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office)
The case has reportedly brought increased scrutiny to the city’s juvenile justice system and the company that provides ankle monitoring services.
Jill Dennis of the Assured Supervision Accountability Program, a competing contractor, told FOX 8 that not properly supervising violent offenders like Nunez is “confusing and insane.”
Bourbon Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans is packed with people celebrating Fat Tuesday, the last day of Mardi Gras. Murder victim Christy Thibodeaux was a tour guide in the French Quarter. (iStock)
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Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately respond to a request for more information about the suspects.
Thibodeau would have turned 44 next month. She is survived by her husband, parents, four siblings and eight nieces and nephews, according to her online obituary.
Thibodeaux loved dogs, motorcycles, Jeeps, her old Mustang convertible and watching the sunset over Lake Pontchartrain with her husband, Jace.
The memorial service was held on Wednesday.
