A suspect in the murder of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray in Houston last week was wearing an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ankle bracelet at the time of the crime.
Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, 26, one of the suspects in the murder, appeared in court Monday at Harris County Criminal Court, where it was revealed that he was wearing the ankle monitor when he allegedly murdered Nungaray.
JUST IN: Venezuelan illegal immigrants who are accused of kill*ng 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, lured her under a bridge where they took her clothes off & r*ped her for 2 hours.
The men tied her hands behind her back while they did the unthinkable.
After they were done, the men… pic.twitter.com/co16puNjw9
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) June 24, 2024
The ankle bracelet was provided to him after being arrested by Border Patrol agents for entering the country illegally and subsequently being released from custody. ICE stated on Friday that he “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.”
ICE also has a retainer on Ramos, the agency said.
Judge Josh Hill, who presided over Monday’s proceedings, noted that Ramos and 21-year-old Johan Jose Rangel Martinez, the other suspect in the case, faced allegations of attempting to gather money to flee town.
This is very sad 😢
Jocelyn Nungaray’s mom. She had Jocelyn at 15 and fought to keep her. pic.twitter.com/vR8AamOxge
— Sarah Sansoni (@sarahsansoni) June 25, 2024
During the appearance, the judge set Ramos’ bail at $10 million, more than double the $5 million requested by prosecutors.
Pena’s defense suggested a bail of $1 million, but the judge argued he represented an “astronomical” flight risk and said the chances of the suspect returning to court would be “near zero.”
If Ramos were to make bail, the judge ordered that he must wear a GPS monitor, be on house arrest 24/7, remain in Harris County, have no contact with the other suspect or the victim’s family, not contact anyone under the age of 18, not possess firearms, drugs, or alcohol, and surrender his passport.
NEW: One of the illegal Venezuelan migrants who allegedly r*p*d 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray appears in court where a $10 million bond was set.
The judge noted that Franklin Jose Pena Ramos was an "astronomical" flight risk.
New court documents reveal horrifying new details,… pic.twitter.com/Aw3sHBCKXL
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) June 25, 2024
Ramos and Martinez are accused of luring the young girl under a bridge in Houston before tying her up and killing her.
“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.
Investigators used surveillance video to track the movements of the two before and after the killing, police said.
Both suspects are charged with capital murder, with Martinez set to appear in court for the first time on Tuesday.
