Southwest
Jocelyn Nungaray murder: Illegal immigrant suspects 'lured' Texas 12-year-old, 'tied her up,' prosecutors say
Illegal immigrants accused of killing 12-year-old Texas girl
Fox News’ Mike Tobin reports the latest on Jocelyn Nungaray’s death. The ‘Outnumbered’ panel discussed the brutal killing and the latest details on the suspects accused of her murder, who officials claim entered the United States illegally.
The two illegal immigrant suspects charged with strangling 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray to death this week had “lured” her under a bridge in Houston before tying her up and killing her, prosecutors allege in new court documents obtained by Fox News.
Johan Jose Rangel Martinez, 21, and Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, 26, each face capital murder charges, and prosecutors are requesting that their bail be set at $1 million.
“In this case the defendant lured a 12-year-old under a bridge, where he and his co-defendant remained with her for over 2 hours, took her pants off, tied her up, and killed her, then threw her body into the bayou,” Harris County Assistant District Attorney Michael Abner wrote.
On Thursday, Fox News reported that the two suspects from Venezuela had entered the U.S. illegally before being released from custody. An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokesperson confirmed the news on Friday, saying in a statement that “Martinez and Pena both illegally entered the U.S. without inspection, parole or admission by a U.S. immigration officer on an unknown date and at an unknown location.”
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SUSPECTS IN TEXAS GIRL’S MURDER WERE RECENTLY CAUGHT BY BORDER PATROL, RELEASED INTO US
Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, left, and Johan Jose Rangel Martinez have been charged in the killing of Jocelyn Nungaray in Houston, Texas, on Monday, June 17. (Harris County Jail)
“On March 14, Martinez was apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol near El Paso, Texas. That same day he was released on an order of recognizance with a notice to appear,” the spokesperson added. “Pena was apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol on May 28 near El Paso. He was also released on an order of recognizance with a notice to appear the same day he was apprehended.”
Investigators used surveillance video to track the movements of Rangel Martinez and Pena Ramos before and after the killing, Houston police Lt. Stephen Hope said.
Earlier this week, Houston Mayor John Whitmire said that Nungaray had been at a convenience store, talking to her 13-year-old boyfriend on the phone after sneaking out of her family’s apartment. The boyfriend told investigators that he could hear Nungaray talking with two people.
TEXAS POLICE ARREST MAN WHO ALLEGEDLY ROBBED BANK WITH YOUNG CHILD IN TOW
Jocelyn Nungaray, 12, was found strangled to death in a Houston creek this week. (Fox26 Houston courtesy of the Nungaray family)
Rangel Martinez and Pena Ramos, meanwhile, started their evening at a restaurant together on Sunday night, police said.
They left the restaurant and then were seen meeting with Nungaray and talking to her for a few minutes. Later, Rangel Martinez and Pena Ramos, along with Jocelyn, walked to a 7-Eleven convenience store.
Video image of Johan Jose Rangel Martinez, 21, and Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, 26, and an image of Jocelyn Nungaray (Houston Police Department; Fox Houston Courtesy of the Nungaray family)
Afterward, the three of them walked to a bridge, where investigators said Nungaray was murdered. Rangel Martinez and Pena Ramos then walked to the apartment they shared and left the girl’s body behind, police said. Police believe the pair lived in the same apartment complex as Nungaray.
Fox News’ Griff Jenkins contributed to this report.
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Los Angeles, Ca
O.C. Uber customer says driver asleep in Tesla on 405 Freeway
An Orange County rideshare customer captured cellphone footage of his Uber driver seemingly asleep behind the wheel of a Tesla traveling along the 405 Freeway earlier this year.
The incident, according to the customer who reached out to KTLA, occurred March 24 while he was on a ride to Costa Mesa just before 7:30 p.m.
In the footage, the driver, wearing a coat and tie, is seen with his head resting against the headrest while remaining completely still, even as the customer moves closer with the camera.
Toward the end of the video, one of the driver’s hands appears to rest near his waist rather than on the steering wheel.
The customer told KTLA he filed a complaint with Uber but was informed he would not be able to find out whether any action was taken regarding the incident. He also said he contacted the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, which reportedly declined to accept the video evidence and told him deputies would have needed to witness the driver asleep themselves.
Videos of Tesla drivers appearing to be asleep have become increasingly common.
More recently, footage of an apparently napping Tesla driver on the 5 Freeway was captured by witnesses in southbound lanes near Camp Pendleton.
As far back as February 2023, video obtained by KTLA showed two separate drivers appearing to be asleep behind the wheel in the span of a week, one in Los Angeles and the other in Temecula.
KTLA’s San Francisco sister station, KRON, also obtained footage of an East Bay driver apparently asleep behind the wheel of a Tesla Model 3 on Highway 4 in March.
According to Tesla’s guidelines, drivers using the vehicle’s Full Self-Driving mode are required to remain attentive and ready to take control of the car at any moment.
In past incidents, the California Highway Patrol has told KTLA that drivers must be awake, conscious and sober to legally operate a moving vehicle.
The electric vehicle maker has been at the center of numerous controversies but remains the top-selling brand in California for the fourth year in a row. Tesla’s Model Y far outsold any other new vehicle in the state in 2025.
KTLA has reached out to Uber about the March 24 incident and is awaiting a response.
Los Angeles, Ca
L.A. mayor, California governor races shift focus to November election; Republicans scrutinize process
The frontrunners in the California governor’s race and Los Angeles mayor’s race are looking ahead to the November general election, as some Republicans scrutinize the state’s ballot-counting process.
Votes continue to be counted, but with the majority of results in, news outlets are already calling clear winners in both races.
So are the candidates, with several making appearances Tuesday to officially kick off their general election campaigns.
Mayor Karen Bass led the mayoral primary race with 34% of the vote, and the Associated Press called Progressive City Councilmember Nithya Raman in second place Monday with 29%, overtaking Spencer Pratt.
Bass joined supporters in downtown Los Angeles Tuesday morning, saying she won Tuesday and will win again in November, despite challenges including the Palisades Fire and the city’s ongoing homelessness crisis during her first term.
“It’s hard for me to express how much it means to me to have all of you here, to feel your embrace, to feel your power, and to feel your encouragement because we’re going to have four more years,” she said.
Meanwhile, there is no word on when Raman will make an appearance, but she took to social media to declare victory, saying she was incredibly proud and encouraging voters to join her movement.
“We got here because people across Los Angeles believe in something better: a city where Angelenos can afford to live, work, and build a future,” she said.
Raman had made a last-minute entry into the race, after she had endorsed Bass for reelection.
The mayoral race has historical markers, with Bass being the first Black woman to hold the post, and Raman could be the first South Asian woman on the job.
The election will test whether voters in the heavily Democratic city want to move further to the political left to address long-running problems of homelessness, buckled streets and sidewalks and climbing rent and home prices.
Meanwhie, in the California gubernatorial primary, NewsNation’s Decision Desk called Steve Hilton a winner with 25% of the vote, behind Xavier Becerra’s almost 28% of the vote.
Hilton held a press conference Tuesday morning at the Registrar’s Office, kicking off his general election campaign ahead of the November runoff.
While Hilton said he is not officially declaring victory until the Associated Press calls the race, he used the opportunity to discuss voter reform.
“You can send in your mail-in ballot for a week after the election,” he said. “And here’s the theory. We have to really understand, this simple example shows you just how broken this system is.”
Hilton called for California to limit mail ballots to those who request them, rather than sending them to all registered voters.
The President Donald Trump-backed candidate will face Democrat Xavier Becerra, who is also expected to kick off his campaign Tuesday.
Becerra leaned on his more than 35 years in public office, including as state attorney general and U.S. health secretary, and argued that he was the most qualified candidate in a crowded field.
Trump has condemned California’s elections, citing voter fraud. So far, the Registrar’s Office has defended the process, saying the allegations were made prior to the election.
In California, vote-by-mail ballots postmarked on or before Election Day and received within seven days after the election, as well as any provisional ballots cast, will be counted.
KTLA’s Angeli Kakade and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Los Angeles, Ca
In-N-Out Burger opens new flagship location on Las Vegas Strip
Los Angeles’ favorite burger chain is taking over the Vegas Strip.
In-N-Out Burger’s flagship restaurant on the Las Vegas Strip opens today, marking a major milestone for the iconic Southern California-based chain.
“It’s officially official,” the company announced in a post on X Tuesday. “In-N-Out’s new flagship Las Vegas location will open tomorrow, with over 8,000 square feet on one level and beautiful views of the Strip.”
The new restaurant is likely to become one of the most visited In-N-Out locations in the company’s history, given its spot in the heart of the Las Vegas tourist corridor, adjacent to the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino.
News of the flagship In-N-Out Burger, located at 3747 S. Las Vegas Blvd., has been in the company’s “opening soon” section of its website since earlier this year.
The family-owned business has operated restaurants throughout Las Vegas for years, but its latest opening represents a significant expansion of the brand’s presence as one of the country’s fastest-growing burger chains.
While California remains In-N-Out’s largest market by far, the chain has steadily expanded eastward over the past decade, opening stores in states including Colorado, Texas and Tennessee.
When CEO Lynsi Snyder announced the company’s expansion into Tennessee in 2023, she hinted that other states near its distribution hub in Lancaster, Texas, would be coming soon.
Snyder also announced last year that In-N-Out’s corporate office in Irvine will close by 2030, with all operations shifting back to the company’s roots at a home office in Baldwin Park, where her grandparents founded the chain in 1948.
In-N-Out has since grown from a small Southern California hamburger stand into a favorite known for its simple, affordable menu of burgers, fries and milkshakes.
It’s unclear whether any festivities are planned for the new Vegas opening, but burger lovers should expect long lines to order their Double-Double, animal-style fries or Snyder’s go-to order: a double meat with fried mustard, extra spread, pickles and chopped chilis.
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