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Trump meets with Jocelyn Nungaray family as illegal migrant murder suspect complains he won't get fair shake

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Trump meets with Jocelyn Nungaray family as illegal migrant murder suspect complains he won't get fair shake

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The attorney of one of the illegal migrant suspects charged in the murder of Texas 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray has filed for a protective order to ensure that the negative media attention the case has received will not prevent him from his right to fair trial.

Two Venezuelan nationals – 21-year-old Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel and 26-year-old Franklin Jose Peña Ramos – have been charged with capital murder in the death of Nungaray after the 12-year-old was found strangled to death in a Houston creek on June 17.

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The two men reportedly crossed illegally into the U.S. earlier this year.

Peña’s attorneys filed a protective order “preventing the parties to this cause, law enforcement officials, the Houston Forensic Science Center, or court personnel from making extrajudicial statements or otherwise disseminating information concerning this cause by any means of public communications.”

JOCELYN NUNGARAY WAS SEXUALLY ASSAULTED BEFORE ALLEGED MURDER BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, FAMILY SAYS

Franklin Jose Peña Ramos, left, and Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel have been charged in the killing of Jocelyn Nungaray in Houston on June 16, 2024. (Harris County Jail)

In the protective order filing, reviewed by Fox News Digital, the attorneys argued that media attention was “likely to produce a result of undue prejudice” during Peña’s trial.

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“The additional extra-judicial statements to the news media are likely to produce a result of undue prejudice in the community to deprive the Defendant of a fair trial guaranteed by Article I of the Texas Constitution and the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution,” the motion said.

The filing argued that Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg made “made numerous statements about the case that went beyond the statements of the prosecutor during the probable cause hearing.”

The documents cited Ogg saying: “[M]make no mistake, this is a horrific crime” and “the immigration system is broken.” Peña’s attorney argued that these statements would produce prejudice in his trial.

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

In the filing, Peña’s attorneys concluded their request by asking for all parties involved in the case to “refrain from making any further extrajudicial statements relating to this cause and to refrain from further dissemination of information, regardless of whether the information was previously disclosed to the public, concerning this cause by way of public communication, and for all other relief just and proper in the case.”

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JOCELYN NUNGARAY MURDER: TEXAS COUNTY DUBBED ‘SANCTUARY FOR CRIMINALS’ AS DEM DA TRIES TO SHIFT BLAME

Jocelyn Nungaray was killed in North Houston on June 16, 2024. (Getty Images)

Jocelyn Nungaray family speaks out

Nungaray’s murder has prompted calls for stronger border enforcement and accountability. 

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

During Trump’s visit to the southern border on Aug. 22, Alexis Nungaray, the mother of the 12-year-old, spoke out about her daughter’s murder.

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“It’s still very, very early. It’s still very, very raw. It’s still very, very surreal,” she said.

Former President Trump comforts Alexis Nungaray, mother of Jocelyn Nunagaray who was killed by illegal migrants in June, during a visit to the U.S.-Mexico border fence south of Sierra Vista, Arizona, on Aug. 22, 2024. (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)

Alexis said Peña and Martinez “shouldn’t have been released” after they were first detained.

“There was over 300 detention beds that they should have been at (sic) because they were detained, and they were released when they shouldn’t have been released,” Alexis said. “One had an ankle monitor, but that didn’t stop anything.”

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“So now I have to go through the rest of my life with my son always asking for his sister,” she said.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office and Peña’s attorney for comment.

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Los Angeles, Ca

About 20 detained after armed suspect call sparks LAPD response in Koreatown

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About 20 detained after armed suspect call sparks LAPD response in Koreatown

About 20 people were detained Saturday during a large police response in Los Angeles’ Koreatown after authorities received reports of an armed man threatening people, officials said. Officers responded to the 3400 block of West 8th Street near Kingsley Drive on reports of an assault with a deadly weapon, according to the Los Angeles Police […]

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Los Angeles, Ca

Man found guilty of sex trafficking victim along L.A.’s Figueroa Corridor

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Man found guilty of sex trafficking victim along L.A.’s Figueroa Corridor

A former Riverside County man was found guilty of sex trafficking a female victim and forcing her to engage in commercial sex acts along L.A.’s notorious Figueroa Corridor.

Elias Abdul Shabazz, 34, formerly of Perris, was found guilty by a jury following a five-day trial, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Prosecutors said Shabazz had led the victim to believe they were in a romantic relationship before he turned physically and sexually violent. He began demanding that the victim engage in commercial sex acts from May to October of 2021, court documents said.

He carried a handgun with him and, on occasion, was accused of using it to pistol-whip the victim. He also fired the gun at her feet while threatening to kill her, prosecutors said.

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At trial, the victim said Shabazz demanded that she meet a daily quota of commercial sex proceeds and that she was terrified of the consequences of not meeting that quota. 

She testified that Shabazz compelled her to work in the notorious Figueroa Corridor in South L.A., a dangerous area known for human trafficking and prostitution.

Shabazz had confiscated her identification card, Social Security card and birth certificate. He constantly monitored her cell phone to stop her from communicating with any friends or family.

“He also introduced her to addictive narcotics and controlled every aspect of her life, including when she ate, slept and showered,” prosecutors said.

In May 2025, Shabazz was arrested and has remained in federal custody. His last known address at the time was in Washington, D.C.

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On June 26, 2026, Shabazz was found guilty of one count of coercing or enticing interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution.

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 6, where he faces 15 years to life in prison.

“Sex trafficking matters rank among the most tragic cases our office prosecutes,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli. “This defendant will now face many years in a federal prison cell for his sick, disgusting, and disturbing behavior.”

“Elias Shabazz preyed on a vulnerable victim using physical and sexual violence and cruel psychological coercion to compel commercial sex acts for his own profit,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “There is no place for this type of conduct in civilized society. We deeply respect the victim’s courage to face her trafficker in court. The Criminal Division will continue to bring these cases and try them.”

Anyone with information about human trafficking can report tips to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888

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Los Angeles, Ca

Watch Project Angel Food's 'Lead with Love' telethon on KTLA

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Watch Project Angel Food's 'Lead with Love' telethon on KTLA

The star-studded feel-good giveback event of the summer has returned. KTLA 5 is teaming up once again with Project Angel Food for the annual “Lead with Love: Going the Distance” telethon to raise critical funds for medically tailored meals delivered to people living with serious illnesses throughout Los Angeles County. The seventh annual telethon airs […]

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