Southwest
DA to seek death penalty against illegal immigrants accused in Nungaray murder case
Prosecutors in Texas are seeking the death penalty for two illegal migrants from Venezuela who are accused of killing 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray in June.
Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg, a Democrat, told Fox and Friends on Friday her office is now seeking the death penalty for Franklin Pena, 26, and Johan Martinez-Rangel, 22, who were indicted in September on capital murder charges in connection with Nungaray’s murder.
Documents say Pena and Rangel kidnapped Nungaray and caused her death by applying pressure to her neck. The two are also accused of sexually assaulting her before leaving her body under a bridge. Authorities said both suspects entered the United States illegally shortly before the slaying.
Search warrants later revealed the men are possibly members of the bloodthirsty Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
Franklin Jose Peña Ramos, left, and Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel have been charged in the killing of Jocelyn Nungaray in Houston, Texas, on Monday, June 17. (Harris County Jail)
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“We will be filing notice with the state of Texas that we intend to seek the death penalty against Jocelyn’s murderers,” Ogg said.
“We are seeking death because we want the message out there that, regardless of who you are, but especially if you are illegally in this country, that you will face the same consequences as anyone else for murdering a child during the course of raping and kidnapping.”
Ogg said she spoke to Nungaray’s parents before making the decision to seek the death penalty.
“We base these decisions on the strength of the evidence and the gruesomeness of this crime and yes I’ve spoken with Alexis Nungaray multiple times along with her father,” Ogg said.
“Their family is supportive of this move. We don’t make the victims choose, our prosecutors determines what’s most likely [to succeed]. But we feel that a Texas jury will sentence these two defendants based on the evidence we have to death.”
Jocelyn left her mother’s apartment on the evening of June 16 to get a soda at a convenience store, at which point prosecutors say the suspects lured her out of the store and kidnapped her.
Jocelyn Nungaray, 12, was found strangled to death in a Houston creek in June of this year. (Fox Houston courtesy of the Nungaray family)
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“In this case, the defendant lured a 12-year-old under a bridge where he and his co-defendant remained with her for over [two] hours, took her pants off, tied her up, and killed her, then threw her body into the bayou,” Assistant District Attorney Michael Abner wrote in June.
The gruesome murder shocked the nation with Nungaray’s mother testifying before the House Homeland Security Committee in September about the impact of illegal immigrant crime on U.S. citizens.
Nungaray told the committee that the suspects threw her daughter off the bridge thinking the creek below would wash away their DNA.
“Because of the Biden-Harris administration open border policies, catch and release, they were enrolled in the Alternatives to Detention program,” Nungaray told lawmakers. “This meant that they were released into the United States. It was not even a full three weeks later that they would take my daughter Jocelyn Nungaray’s life.
Flowers and a picture of Jocelyn Nungaray (Getty Images)
Ogg on Friday also took a swipe at the porous border under the Biden-Harris administration.
“The Democratic policies of open borders have failed the American public. If the Justice for Jocelyn Act filed by Senator Ted Cruz or any of the policies that President-elect Trump is pushing had been in effect, then it’s likely that Jocelyn Nungaray would be alive today. These types of horrific crimes committed by illegal immigrants crossing our border have to stop,” Ogg said.
“The family of Jocelyn is in a position they never dreamed would happen to them, and I think it’s unfair for anybody with children to be subject to criminals committing horrific crimes that don’t have to happen. If these fellows hadn’t been in that country, Jocelyn would be alive.”
“Crime has no party, let’s get em.”
Fox News’ Pilar Arias, Audrey Conklin and Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.
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Police asked the public for help Friday in identifying a pair of vehicles involved in a deadly hit-and-run crash in Upland last month.
The incident occurred on West 8th Street just east of San Antonio Avenue around 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 30.
Responding officers found that a pedestrian, later identified as 21-year-old Michael Yanez of Chino, was struck by two vehicles that both fled the scene.
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A Jeep Wrangler sought in a fatal hit-and-run crash is seen in an image provided by the Upland Police Department. -
A light blue minivan sought in a fatal hit-and-run crash is seen in an image provided by the Upland Police Department. -
A light blue minivan sought in a fatal hit-and-run crash is seen in an image provided by the Upland Police Department.
Yanez died as a result of the injuries and investigators are still trying to locate the vehicles and drivers involved in the crash.
On Friday, the Upland Police Department released images on Instagram of a white or silver Jeep Wrangler and a light blue minivan believed to have struck Yanez.
Police said that the Wrangler was lifted with an aftermarket front bumper, driver’s side hi-lift jack (near the fender), a black hard top and black rocker guards along the sides of the body.
No further description of the minivan was available.
Anyone with information about these vehicles was asked to call Officer Santana at 909-946-7624 x 2606 or send an email to gsantana@uplandpd.org.
The Department of Motor Vehicles has issued an apology over a California license plate that allegedly displayed hate speech over the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
On Thursday, the license plate in question was spotlighted in a post to X, formerly Twitter, by StopAntisemitism, a group “dedicated to fighting anti-Semitism.”
The license plate reads, “LOLOCT7.” “Lol” is an acronym that stands for “laugh out loud” and is typically used to express amusement.
The organization said the vehicle was spotted at the intersection of Jefferson and Sepulveda Boulevards in Culver City.
“How did this get processed?” the post read. “Demand the @CA_DMV recall this license plate that celebrates the October 7th terrorist attack—a vile mockery of the 1,200 innocent lives lost and the countless others scarred.”
By Thursday afternoon, DMV responded to the post by issuing an apology and calling the situation “unacceptable and disturbing” in a statement on X saying:
“The DMV is taking swift action to recall these shocking plates, and we will immediately strengthen our internal review probes to ensure such an egregious oversight never happens again.
We sincerely apologize that these personalized plates were not properly rejected during our review process. The use of hateful language is not only a clear violation of our policies but also a violation of our core values to proudly serve the public and ensure safe and welcoming roadways.”
A department representative who spoke with the Times said the vehicle’s owner would be notified of the situation and their license plate would be recalled.
The owner, however, has the right to appeal the DMV’s decision should they choose to do so.
DMV officials also told the Times that employees will scour the license plate database to identify additional offensive language involving the Oct. 7 attacks and recall those plates if found.
Thirty-seven suspects were arrested during a massive retail theft bust in Ventura County.
The two-day blitz operation took place at the Pacific View mall in Ventura from Dec. 6-7, according to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.
Around $2,000 worth of stolen property was discovered by officers, along with burglary tools used in the thefts and various narcotics including fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine.
The suspects were identified as:
- Fredy Velasquez, 18, Santa Paula
- Savanah Hartman, 18, Oxnard
- Sahrayah Hartman, 21, Oxnard
- Jacob Aragon, 22, Camarillo
- Jonathan Zazueta, 26, Oxnard
- Skylar Martin, 26, Ventura
- Ashlee Honsberger, 27, Ventura
- Erika Martinez, 29, Ventura
- Heraclio Lara, 29, Ventura
- William Borchard, 32, Ventura
- Alyona French, 33, Ventura
- Travis Ross, 34, Ojai
- Anthony Romero, 34, Oxnard
- Randy Martinez, 35, Santa Paula
- Andres Fernandez, 35, Oxnard
- Tony Valdez, 37, Ventura
- Richard Munoz, 39, Ventura
- Matthew Raley, 43, Ventura
- Candice Arsenault, 43, Oxnard
- William Martinez, 45, Ventura
- Valentin Lucero, 53, Ventura
- 16 unidentified juveniles
Officers collaborated with loss prevention teams from Target, JCPenney, and Macy’s, along with Allied Security, which provides security services for Pacific View mall.
“This effort highlights the significant shoplifting challenges affecting not only the mall but also businesses across the county,” said the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.
The Ventura County Organized Retail Theft Task Force force is comprised of detectives from various agencies within Ventura County focused on combatting organized retail theft, vehicle/vehicle parts theft and cargo theft.
“The task force aims to provide a safe environment for everyone while working hand in hand with retailers, law enforcement agencies and the public to identify, locate and arrest the criminals involved in these types of crimes,” the sheriff’s department said.
Detectives with the Task Force teamed up with members from the sheriff’s West County Special Enforcement Unit and the District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigations. They were assisted by officers from the Ventura Police Department and patrol deputies from the Thousand Oaks and Camarillo stations.
Anyone with information on possible theft cases is encouraged to call the Ventura County Organized Retail Theft Task Force at 805-383-8703. Anonymous tips can be provided to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at lacrimestoppers.org.
Retailers that are experiencing significant retail theft and are interested in participating in similar blitz operations can call 805-383-8703.
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