By Jerald Jimenez
Jun 24, 2024, 2:48 PM EDT
One of the two undocumented migrants of Venezuelan nationality, accused of murdering a 12-year-old girl from Texas, has had bail set at $10 million, after being arrested last week.
According to authorities, Franklin Peña Ramos, 26, decided not to appear in court, and formally received the arrest warrant this Monday. The Prosecutor’s Office initially requested that bail for each suspect be set at $1 million, the New York Post reported.
Reports indicate that both Peña Ramos and the other accused, Johan José Rangel Martínez, 21, tricked the victim, Jocelyn Nungaray, an American national, into leaving her home. They then allegedly restrained her, stripped her of her clothes, and suffocated her before leaving her body in a swamp in Houston.
Two days after Nungaray’s body was found, Peña Ramos discarded the ankle monitor he was given while crossing the US border. For his part, Rangel Martínez was put on the monitor, but it was removed on May 15 after the authorities determined that he had no criminal record and went through routine checks.
Peña Ramos was expected to appear before an immigration judge in July, while Rangel Martínez had a scheduled date in immigration court in August. Currently, defendants are subject to immigration enforcement, which ICE uses to ensure they remain in custody.
Circumstances of the Nungaray crime
The 12-year-old girl left home around 10:00 pm on Sunday. She was later seen on surveillance footage at a local convenience store, where the suspects could be seen following her as she entered a store. Later, his relatives did not know where he was.
The two Venezuelan migrants were detained last Thursday at a local apartment complex, where they lived together. When police arrived at the scene, one of the suspects attempted to escape by jumping off a balcony, but was eventually captured by authorities. It remains to be determined whether the two alleged murderers had any relationship with the violent Venezuelan gang “El Tren de Aragua.”
Meanwhile, Jocelyn’s funeral is expected to be held Thursday and will be financed by Texas furniture magnate Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale.
With information from New York Post