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)
MOTHER OF YOUNG GIRL KILLED BY ILLEGAL MIGRANTS BLASTS CRUZ CHALLENGER’S POLICIES: ‘TOOK MY DAUGHTER’S LIFE’
“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)
JOCELYN NUNGARAY MURDER: HOUSTON PROSECUTORS SEEK ICE, CBP RECORDS ON ILLEGAL ACCUSED OF CHILD KILLING
“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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Los Angeles, Ca
LADWP begins long-term repairs after West Hollywood water main rupture
Crews worked overnight on what is expected to be a long-term effort to clean up and repair a broken water main that caused extensive damage in West Hollywood on Thursday.
Yellow tape remained in place Friday morning, blocking streets around Sunset Boulevard and Holloway Drive as crews continued pumping water out of the century-old trunk line.
Asphalt and soil were also being removed so crews could get a better look at the damaged 36-inch trunk line, a major feeder pipe serving the area.
“First and foremost is our crews’ safety,” a Los Angeles Department of Water and Power spokesperson said Thursday. “When we excavate, we are going to have to make sure the area is safe before we send crews in to proceed and start the actual repairs on the pipe.”
The water main ruptured around 3 a.m. Thursday, sending thousands of gallons of water rushing through West Hollywood streets, flooding dozens of garages and pushing parked cars into one another.
A Metro bus yard was also flooded, leaving several buses partially submerged.
The force of the water washed away dirt and gravel supporting the roadway, creating a massive sinkhole on Sunset Boulevard and a smaller one near Palm Avenue, where two people fell in.
“I’m astounded by the massive sinkhole that has just opened up before our eyes,” KTLA’s Annie Rose Ramos reported Thursday from Palm Avenue.
The two men appeared to be uninjured.
As for the larger trunk line that burst beneath Sunset Boulevard, KTLA’s Carlos Herrera reported it was scheduled for replacement in 2031.
LADWP officials now hope to establish a repair timeline after getting a closer look at the damage Friday. For now, the intersection is expected to remain closed for anywhere from several days to several weeks.
The cause of the rupture remains under investigation.
Los Angeles, Ca
Arrest made in deadly shooting at 4th of July gathering in Compton; search for 2nd suspect continues
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna gave an update Thursday on several shootings over the Fourth of July weekend that left three people dead and several others injured.
Police arrested Antoine Jones, a 50-year-old man from the Los Angeles area, who they believe is responsible for the murder of a 19-year-old woman and the attempted murder of two additional surviving female victims who were attending a large community block party in Compton.
On July 4 at approximately 11:40 p.m., deputies from the Compton station responded to an apartment complex on the 700 block of West Laurel Street following reports of multiple people being shot.
Meah Bordenave-Jenkins, a 19-year-old nursing student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, was killed when gunfire broke out at the party.
Deputies located Bordenave-Jenkins and the two other women suffering from gunshot wounds outside of the apartment complex.
“While today’s announcement represents an important step towards justice for Meah and her family, our work is very far from being over,” said LASD Sheriff Robert Luna.
The LASD is also seeking the public’s help in identifying those responsible for the murder of Eric Washington, 37, a beloved community activist and former government staffer, and the attempted murder of another surviving man injured that same night at the same party.
Washington was reportedly killed while trying to deescalate a conflict at the party, his family said. Deputies found victim Washington suffering from a gunshot wound inside the complex.
Investigators later learned that another man had also been shot at some point during the incident.
Bordenave-Jenkins and Washington both died from their injuries. The remaining victims, two women and a man, sustained non-life-threatening injuries and have been released from the hospital. They have not been identified by police.
Detectives determined the two shootings happened moments apart at the party but appear to be separate and unrelated.
Detectives identified Jones as the suspect responsible for Bordenave-Jenkins’ death and the attempted murder of the two surviving women. Authorities located Jones on July 14 in Los Angeles and took him into custody.
The LASD is still searching for the suspect or suspects responsible for the murder of Washington and the attempted murder of the surviving male victim.
“Although today’s arrest is significant, this investigation remains extremely active,” Luna said.
“There were hundreds of people at this gathering,” Luna said. “Somebody knows, somebody saw or somebody heard what happened.”
The LASD also announced they’re searching for a suspect in a separate shooting at a different Fourth of July gathering that occurred in the early morning of July 5.
At approximately 12:10 a.m., Compton deputies responded to the 2100 block of North Grandee Avenue, where they located a 30-year-old victim, Thaddeus Clark, and a second victim suffering from gunshot wounds at the gathering.
Clark, a father of three, did not survive his injuries, Luna said.
The LASD is urging anyone with information about Clark’s murder and the attempted murder of the surviving victim to contact the LASD Homicide Bureau.
Although these shooting incidents occurred at gatherings less than an hour apart, investigators found no evidence that the two were connected, Luna said.
Luna also announced three suspects have been arrested in connection with a shooting in East L.A. on July 5. It happened as crowds crossed the intersection near Whittier Boulevard and Leonard Avenue during a World Cup match.
Four people were hit by gunfire, including two men, one woman and a boy. None of the injuries were life-threatening.
The sheriff said the alleged shooter, a 15-year-old known gang member, was arrested. Two female suspects, ages 21 and 38, have been arrested in the Lancaster and Palmdale areas for their alleged roles in luring the primary victim to the location and assisting the shooting suspect in evading arrest.
They’re all facing four counts of attempted murder.
Los Angeles, Ca
Water main break floods West Hollywood streets, traps cars
A broken water main sent water gushing from an apartment building and turned nearby streets into rivers in West Hollywood early Thursday morning. The break was reported around 3 a.m. near Holloway Drive and Sunset Boulevard. “It’s a rupture of one of the significant mains that goes through here. West Hollywood, as it turns out, […]
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