The Texas district attorney charged with prosecuting two illegal immigrants for the murder of a 12-year-old Houston girl blamed a “broken system” that allowed the pair to allegedly commit the killing.
Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel, 21, and Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, 26, are charged with capital murder in the death of Jocelyn Nungaray, who crossed illegally into the United States earlier this year.
“They should never have been released when they crossed into El Paso, but we have a broken system and Jocelyn's death was the result. And it's very hard when you know something could have been prevented, like the death of a child,” he said Thursday. Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg told KPRC.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SUSPECT ACCUSED OF KILLING JOCELYN NUNGARAY WEARING AN ICE ANKLE MONITOR
Jocelyn Nungaray, 12, was found strangled in a Houston creek this week. (Fox Houston courtesy of the Nungaray family)
Both suspects, who are Venezuelan citizens, allegedly lured Nungaray under a bridge and sexually assaulted her for two hours before strangling her to death and abandoning her in a creek. Nungaray’s killing has raised concerns about migrant vetting and the Biden administration’s border policies.
Ogg said the immigration system has been broken for decades, something many Texans have known for quite some time.
“We've seen this for a long time here. What's different is that we're seeing people from other countries, it's not just immigrants from Mexico,” he said.
“We're seeing immigrants from China, from the islands, from South America, like these individuals. That's new. And I think it's increasing the risk factor for everyday people here,” Ogg added. “That's why I hope our government will work together in a bipartisan way to keep people safe by making our borders safer.”
Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said the immigration system is broken as her office works to prosecute two illegal immigrants accused of killing a 12-year-old Houston girl. (Photo by Brett Comer/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
Peña Ramos was arrested for Border Patrol Agents after entering the country illegally and being released from custody, and ICE told Fox News in a statement Friday that he had “illegally entered the U.S. without inspection, parole, or admission by an immigration officer from the U.S. on an unknown date and at an unknown location.
Nungaray's murder has sparked calls for greater surveillance and accountability at the borders.
“Our immigration system is broken, and if there was ever a case that reflects that, this is it,” Ogg said.
Fox News Digital reached out to Ogg's office.
JOCELYN NUNGARAY MURDER: SUSPECTED ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ACCUSED OF KILLING HOUSTON GIRL HAS BAIL SET AT $10 MILLION
In March, Ogg, a Democrat, was ousted from running for a third term by former Harris County Attorney Sean Teare, who won the Democratic primary for district attorney by a landslide. Teare will face Dan Simmons, the only Republican candidate in the race, in November.
Meanwhile, crime in the county has become a concern for local and state elected officials.
“Harris County has become a sanctuary for criminals, and the fault lies not only with the Biden administration, but with the district attorney's office,” Texas state Rep. Briscoe Cain, a Republican who lives in Harris County.
“Harris County has become a sanctuary for criminals, and the blame lies not only with the Biden administration, but with the district attorney's office.”
Cain also cited local criminal court judges “who have let the world know that Harris County is a safe place for criminals, whether illegal, legal or not.”
Prosecutors make recommendations, but judges are ultimately responsible for who is released on bail and the sentences imposed, he said.
Franklin José Peña Ramos, left, and Johan José Martínez-Rangel have been charged with the murder of Jocelyn Nungaray in Houston, Texas, on Monday, June 17. (Harris County Jail)
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Peña Ramos and Martínez-Rangel are being held on $10 million bail. Nungaray was buried on Thursday.
