One of the people accused of raping and killing a young girl aged just 12 is the son of a former government official in Venezuela, reports say.
Johan Jose Martinez Rangel, 22, is accused of killing Jocelyn Nungaray, found dead after being strangled in Texas last month. The Daily Mail reported social media comments indicated Martinez Rangel is the son of Nazareth Rangel Palacios - a supporter of in cumbent Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Jocelyn’s body was found in a creek on June 17 -her body was found naked from the waist down, thrown in a bayou . A medical examiner concluded that she had been strangled. Police say she had sneaked out of her house the night before.
READ MORE: Jocelyn Nungaray, 12, was 'sexually assaulted' before murdered and dumped in Houston creek
READ MORE: Alleged Jocelyn Nungaray killers' roommate 'froze' after spotting them on TV as they sat in bar together
Prosecutors have charged two Venezuelan men - another man named Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, 26, was charged - who had entered the US illegally with capital murder. The men are alleged to have met Jocelyn at around 10pm on June 16 and walked with her to a 7-11.
Reports indicate prosecutors have not yet said which of the men is alleged to have raped the young girl. They are both being held in jail on a $10 million bond.
Phone call from Trump
Victoria Galvan, the best friend of Jocelyn's mom, said she received a call from former President Donald Trump just minutes before he took to the stage to debate President Joe Biden. "He was like, "I'm actually about to come on for a debate' … He gave his condolences, and he said that he would be reaching back out to her," said Victoria.
READ MORE: Jocelyn Nungaray's mom received 'shock' phone call from Donald Trump minutes before Biden debate
"He wanted to … say that he was praying for Alexis and that he's been thinking about her and he wanted to reach out. He said that he was going to reach out in a couple days to her … I mean, she was really … we were all shocked."
Republicans have used the death to highlight what they say are President Joe Biden’s failed immigration policies. Trump spoke during the debate - he did not mention Jocelyn by name - of killings authorities allege were committed by undocumented immigrants.
Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student, was killed in Georgia killed while jogging in February, and Rachel Morin, 37, a mother of five, also killed while jogging along a trail in Maryland in August 2023. Trump said: "They are killing our citizens at a level we've never seen before. And you are reading it. Like these incredible young girls over the last few days. One of them, I just spoke to the mother. They just had a funeral for this girl. She's 12 years old. This is horrible what's taken place."
READ MORE: Jocelyn Nungaray murder: Everything we know about brutal Houston killing of 12-year-old
Jocelyn’s grandfather, Kelvin Alvarenga, said earlier this week that his granddaughter’s death could have been prevented if the country’s immigration system had been “redone.”
Among those attending funeral services for Jocelyn Nungaray were Democratic Houston Mayor John Whitmire and Cecilia Abbott, wife of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. Also attending the service for Jocelyn was Republican Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. Both Greg Abbott and Patrick are harsh critics of Biden’s policies.
Many studies have found immigrants are less drawn to violent crime than native-born citizens. One published by the National Academy of Sciences, based on Texas Department of Public Safety data from 2012 to 2018, reported native-born U.S. residents were more than twice as likely to be arrested for violent crimes than people in the country illegally.
Ankle tag removed
Pena Ramos had an ankle tag fitted by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent on May 28, He crossed the border in El Paso, Texas. The same tage had been removed by the time he was arrested, alleged to have killed Jocelyn.
READ MORE: Jocelyn Nungaray's family vow to 'get' killers as hundreds attend funeral for ‘shy’ 12-year-old
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