Current:Home > NewsJudge sets $10M bond for second Venezuelan man accused of killing a 12-year-old Houston girl -GrowthInsight
Judge sets $10M bond for second Venezuelan man accused of killing a 12-year-old Houston girl
View
Date:2025-04-14 13:53:17
HOUSTON (AP) — A second Venezuelan man living in the U.S. illegally and accused of killing a 12-year-old Houston girl was ordered on Tuesday to be held on a $10 million bond.
Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel, 22, is one of two men charged with capital murder in Jocelyn Nungaray’s death. The other is Franklin Jose Peña Ramos, 26.
State District Judge Josh Hill set the bond during a court hearing in which prosecutors said authorities found evidence on Martinez-Rangel’s cellphone that they allege showed he was trying to leave the country after police were looking for him following Jocelyn’s death.
Mario Madrid, a court-appointed attorney for Martinez-Rangel, did not immediately reply to an email seeking comment.
During a court hearing Monday, Hill also ordered that Peña be held on a $10 million bond.
Nungaray’s body was found June 17 in a shallow creek after police said she sneaked out of her nearby home the night before. She was strangled to death, according to the medical examiner. Prosecutors allege the men took off her pants, tied her up and killed her before throwing her body in the bayou.
She had disappeared during a walk to a convenience store, police said.
The two men are Venezuelan nationals who entered the United States illegally in March, according to a statement Friday from the U.S. Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Both were arrested by U.S. Border Patrol and later released with orders to appear in court at a later date.
Both Peña and Martinez-Rangel are now under immigration holds by federal authorities, meaning they would remain in custody even if they could post bond.
Nungaray’s funeral is set for Thursday in Houston.
veryGood! (74779)
Related
- What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
- Tyler Christopher's General Hospital Family Mourns His Death in Moving Tributes
- Missouri appeals court rules against ballot summary language that described ‘dangerous’ abortions
- Long Island woman convicted of manslaughter in the hit-and-run death of a New York police detective
- New Mexico governor seeks funding to recycle fracking water, expand preschool, treat mental health
- Massive windfarm project to be built off Virginia coast gains key federal approval
- Jury finds Hawaii couple guilty for stealing identities of dead babies
- SPANX Flash Sale: Get Ready for Holiday Party Season and Save up to 68% Off
- Most popular books of the week: See what topped USA TODAY's bestselling books list
- Deputies killed a Maine man outside a police station. Police say he was armed with a rifle
Ranking
- DeepSeek: Did a little known Chinese startup cause a 'Sputnik moment' for AI?
- 'The Voice': Niall Horan gets teary-eyed with Team Reba singer Dylan Carter's elimination
- A pilot has been indicted for allegedly threatening to shoot the captain if the flight was diverted
- 5 Things podcast: Israeli prime minister vows no cease-fire, Donald Trump ahead in Iowa
- Sonya Massey's father decries possible release of former deputy charged with her death
- Mississippi’s congressional delegation seeks Presidential Medal of Freedom for Medgar Evers
- Woman plans trip to Disney after winning Michigan Lottery game Lucky For Life
- Largest Christian university in US faces record fine after federal probe into alleged deception
Recommendation
Biden administration makes final diplomatic push for stability across a turbulent Mideast
Russian-American journalist denied release into house arrest
Shani Louk, 22-year-old woman kidnapped by Hamas at music festival, confirmed dead by Israel
The US infant mortality rate rose last year. The CDC says it’s the largest increase in two decades
Tree trimmer dead after getting caught in wood chipper at Florida town hall
Taking an Uber in Phoenix? Your next ride may not have a driver
Adam Johnson Tragedy: Authorities Investigating Ice Hockey Player's Death
House Republican seeks to change motion-to-vacate rule that brought down McCarthy