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Houston girl allegedly killed by illegal immigrants fought back, family lashes out at suspects: 'Murderer!'

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Houston girl allegedly killed by illegal immigrants fought back, family lashes out at suspects: 'Murderer!'

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Jocelyn Nungaray, the 12-year-old Houston girl found strangled to death last week, fought back against her attackers, two illegal immigrants who lured her under a bridge where they sexually assaulted her, prosecutors said Tuesday. 

The alleged killers, Johan Jose Rangel Martinez, 21, and Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, 26, met each other when they were both on their way to the United States from Venezuela and then later connected in Houston, Fox Houston reported. 

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Bail for Martinez, a father of two young children, 2 and 5, who aren’t in Texas, was set at $10 million after prosecutors labeled him a flight risk. He still had marks on him left by Nungaray during the June 16 attack, authorities said. Nungaray’s hands and feet were bound, she was nude from the waist down, had marks on her neck, and scrapes on her backside consistent with being dragged, prosecutors said.

‘EVIDENCE IS CLEAR THAT A SEXUAL ASSAULT LIKELY HAPPENED,’ PROSECUTOR SAYS 

Image of Franklin Jose Pena Ramos and Johan Jose Rangel Martinez at separate court appearances in Harris County, Texas. (KRIV)

Ramos told authorities he tried to convince Martinez to stop, but he allegedly refused and climbed on top of the girl and strangled her, according to Harris County prosecutor Megan Long. He said Martinez strangled her and suggested placing her in the water to remove DNA evidence. 

“It’s especially difficult when it’s a loss of a 12-year-old child who had their whole life ahead of them. So, this will be an emotional case for us as prosecutors as well as the family,” Long said. 

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Martinez allegedly told authorities that he tied Jocelyn’s legs and instructed Pena to throw her in the bayou. Martinez had bite marks and scratches on his arm and had shaved his beard to avoid detection, authorities allege.

After the killing, Ramos allegedly sent a message to his boss at a construction crew saying the two had been partying the night of the killing and that someone ended up dead, and they needed money to leave town, prosecutors said. 

Ramos, who entered the U.S. illegally a month before the killing, appeared in court on Monday where he was also given a $10 million bail amount. Both men are charged with capital murder. 

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SUSPECT ACCUSED OF KILLING JOCELYN NUNGARAY WORE ICE ANKLE MONITOR  

Jocelyn Nungaray, 12, was found strangled to death in a Houston creek this week. (Fox Houston courtesy of the Nungaray family)

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Harris County District Court Judge Josh Hill said he set a high bail amount because he didn’t want Ramos or Martinez to flee, but also because he didn’t want them to get deported.

“I’ve seen individuals go into ICE custody, go through the deportation or removal process where they have been ordered to be removed… and that the feds have deported or removed those individuals with the Harris County criminal charges still pending,” Hill said. “And it puts us in the position where those charges would never be answered.”

The killing shocked the community in and around Houston and was one in a series of crimes involving illegal immigrants this month. 

Harris County Judge Lina Hildago, who often comments on local and national political matters, “evil happens regardless of immigration status” before blaming Republicans for the conditions that led to Nungaray’s murder. 

Jocelyn Nungaray’s mother Alexis Nungaray speaks following Pena Ramos’ court appearance on Monday, June 24. (KRIV)

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Nungaray’s family, including her mother Alexis Nungaray, was in court Tuesday. Melfri Vargas, stepmother to Alexis Nungaray, called Rangel a “murderer” and said, “I hope they kill your children,” the news station reported. 

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Los Angeles, Ca

Rare, corpse flower double bloom underway at Huntington Library

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Rare, corpse flower double bloom underway at Huntington Library

Two rare corpse flowers have begun to bloom simultaneously at the Huntington Library in San Marino, the nonprofit organization announced Sunday evening.

Odorysseus, the taller of the two flowers, bloomed first. A second, smaller corpse flower named Odora appears to be following close behind.

The Huntington Library is inviting visitors to take in the flowers’ unique aroma, which is often compared to rotting flesh. 

“And so it begins,” the Huntington Library wrote on social media.

Odora is shaped a bit differently than Odorysseus because its spadix is inverted due to a developmental irregularity. This is not expected to affect the blooming of the flower.

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“Plot twist!” the Huntington Library wrote on Instagram. “Odora wants to steal the spotlight. Odora’s spathe has started opening, too. Tiny but mighty, we’re in for quite the show with a double bloom.”

The Huntington is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Monday, and is closed on Tuesdays. Reservations are required Friday through Sunday, on holidays, and during peak seasons. “Twilight stroll” hours are available on the Huntington’s website.

The public can also watch a live stream of the bloom on the organization’s YouTube channel.

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Los Angeles, Ca

Rosemead High School student identified as teen stabbed to death in El Monte

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Rosemead High School student identified as teen stabbed to death in El Monte

Family members have identified 15-year-old Rosemead High School student Aziel Zacapala as the boy killed in a stabbing outside an elementary school in El Monte on July 10.

A candlelight vigil was held for Zacapala at the Rosemead skate park at 6 p.m. Saturday. The original location of the vigil was moved from 9700 Fern Street in El Monte, where the stabbing happened, as homicide detectives continue to investigate the scene.

Zacapala was one of three people stabbed during a fight that broke out on Fern Street around 1 p.m., according to information released by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department and the El Monte Police Department. Authorities were called to a local emergency room that afternoon, where two adults and Zacapala were being treated for stab wounds.

Zacapala was pronounced dead at the hospital. The adult victims are in stable condition and expected to survive, authorities said.

A GoFundMe page created to help Zacapala’s family pay for funeral expenses described the slain teen as a “beloved nephew, friend, son and high school football player” … “whose life was tragically cut short.”

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“Aziel was a good kid, full of promise and kindness, and he had big dreams of making it to the big leagues as a football player,” the GoFundMe page reads. “His absence leaves a deep void in our family and community.”

Zacapala, known as “AZ” by fellow Rosemead High School students, was playing football with friends at Rosemead Park’s Fourth of July event days before the suspected attack, his family said. Now his loved ones are asking for community support as they mourn his death.

“His mother, who is currently unemployed and raising two other young children — including a newborn — has been doing Instacart orders just to stay afloat,” the GoFundMe reads. “Now, she faces the overwhelming daily hardships of supporting her family during this devastating time.”

As of Saturday night, the GoFundMe has raised $16,000 of its $24,000 goal.

No suspects were found at the scene of the stabbing and no arrests have been made in the case, authorities said.

“Investigators are still working to determine whether more than one suspect was involved,” LASD deputies said Saturday morning. “Currently, there is no suspect description available.”

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Anyone with information about the stabbings is asked to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500.

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Los Angeles, Ca

19-year-old arrested, accused of distributing marijuana to minors across Riverside County

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19-year-old arrested, accused of distributing marijuana to minors across Riverside County

A 19-year-old suspect was arrested for the alleged distribution of marijuana to juveniles across Riverside County. Authorities identified the man as Manuel Guerra Meza, 19, of Coachella. On May 15, deputies from the Thermal Sheriff’s Station began investigating reports of a suspect who had been selling a variety of illicit substances to juveniles throughout the […]

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