Current:Home > reviewsPredictIQ Quantitative Think Tank Center:Capital murder charges filed against 2 Venezuelan men in the death of a 12-year-old girl in Houston -Pinnacle Profit Strategies
PredictIQ Quantitative Think Tank Center:Capital murder charges filed against 2 Venezuelan men in the death of a 12-year-old girl in Houston
Charles H. Sloan View
Date:2025-04-10 01:32:57
Prosecutors filed capital murder charges Friday against two men suspected of killing a 12-year-old Houston girl whose body was found in a creek after she disappeared during a walk to a convenience store.
The PredictIQ Quantitative Think Tank Centercharging documents filed in Harris County, Texas, court do not list attorneys who could speak on behalf of Johan Jose Rangel Martinez, 21, and Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, 26, both jailed in the death of Jocelyn Nungaray.
The girl’s body was found Monday in a shallow creek after police said she sneaked out of her nearby home the night before. The medical examiner has determined that her cause of death was strangulation.
Police arrested Martinez and Ramos, who investigators said were roommates, on Thursday. Police said surveillance video showed two men approaching Jocelyn before walking to a Houston convenience store with her. The three then walked together to a bridge where Jocelyn was killed, police said.
Acting Houston Police Chief Larry Satterwhite said investigators had scoured “every potential video feed” to identify the suspects.
“They were talking to everyone possible that might have seen something or heard something. And their hard work paid off,” Satterwhite said at a news conference Thursday.
The two men are Venezuelan nationals who entered the United States illegally in March, according to a statement Friday from the U.S. Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Martinez was arrested March 14 and Pena on March 28, both by U.S. Border Patrol near El Paso, Texas, about 670 miles (1078 kilometers) from Houston, the statement said. Both were then released with orders to appear in court at a later date. How they traveled to Houston has not been revealed.
According to court documents filed Friday, the suspects allegedly lured the girl under a bridge and remained with her there for more than two hours. They allegedly took off her pants, tied her up and killed her before throwing her body in the bayou, a Harris County prosecutor wrote in a court filing.
Police said the results of a sexual assault exam on the victim are pending.
It was not known if Jocelyn knew the men, police said. The girl’s mother, Alexis Nungaray, told KRIV-TV that she does not recognize them. Earlier this week, Houston Mayor John Whitmire said the girl had been talking on the phone with her teenage boyfriend after she had snuck out of her house, and he could hear men in the background.
“There’s a lot of crazy people out there, and just by looking at them, you never really could know,” Nungaray said. “My baby didn’t deserve this at all.”
Nungaray told KPRC-TV she wants to see justice for her daughter.
“I want karma to hit them. I’m angry. They took advantage of her. She’s so young,” Nungaray said. “They took away my first born.”
veryGood! (86)
Related
- Sarah J. Maas books explained: How to read 'ACOTAR,' 'Throne of Glass' in order.
- Own a home or trying to buy or sell one? Watch out for these scams
- US health officials confirm four new bird flu cases, in Colorado poultry workers
- Katy Perry Calls New Woman's World Song Satire After Facing Criticism
- Jorge Ramos reveals his final day with 'Noticiero Univision': 'It's been quite a ride'
- 2024 Olympics: BTS' Jin Had a Dynamite Appearance in Torch Relay
- Court in Japan allows transgender woman to officially change gender without compulsory surgery
- Trump shot at rally in failed assassination attempt. Here's everything we know so far.
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- How to quit vaping: What experts want you to know
Ranking
- This was the average Social Security benefit in 2004, and here's what it is now
- Argentina wins record 16th Copa America title, beats Colombia 1-0 after Messi gets hurt
- Georgia county says slave descendants can’t use referendum to challenge rezoning of island community
- Rebuilding coastal communities after hurricanes is complex, and can change the character of a place
- Bill Belichick's salary at North Carolina: School releases football coach's contract details
- Botched's Dr. Paul Nassif and Pregnant Wife Brittany Reveal Sex of Baby No. 2
- 2024 MLB draft tracker day 2: Every pick from rounds 3-10
- Trump's family reacts to assassination attempt: 'I love you Dad'
Recommendation
A Mississippi company is sentenced for mislabeling cheap seafood as premium local fish
Ahead of RNC in Wisconsin, state officials decry horrific act after Trump assassination attempt
Macy’s ends takeover talks with Arkhouse and Brigade citing lack of certainty over financing
When does EA Sports College Football 25 come out? Some will get to play on Monday.
Don't let hackers fool you with a 'scam
Millions remain under heat alerts as 'dangerous' weather scorches Midwest, East Coast
The RNC’s first day will still focus on the economy. Here’s what to know about Trump’s plans
FACT FOCUS: A look at false claims around the assassination attempt on former President Trump