Two men, whose immigration status is unknown to police, have been charged in the killing of a 12-year-old Houston girl who was found strangled to death in a creek this week, police said.
Johan Jose Rangel Martinez, 21, and Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, 26, were linked to the death of Jocelyn Nungaray and face capital murder charges, the Houston Police Department said Thursday.
“It’s just an overwhelming sense of relief to know they’re just not out there,” Nungaray’s mother, Alexis Nungaray, told Fox Houston.
Investigators used surveillance video to track the movements of Martinez and Ramos before and after the killing, Houston police Lt. Stephen Hope said.
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Jocelyn Nungaray, 12, was found strangled to death in a Houston creek this week. (Fox Houston courtesy of the Nungaray family)
Earlier this week, Houston Mayor John Whitmire said Nungaray was at a convenience store and was talking to her 13-year-old boyfriend on the phone after sneaking out of her family’s apartment. The boyfriend told investigators that he could hear Nungaray talking with two people.
Martinez and Ramos started their evening at a restaurant together on Sunday night, police said.
They left the restaurant and walked southbound when they were spotted on camera, police said. They were later seen meeting with Nungaray and talking to her for a few minutes. Later, Rangel Martinez and Pena Ramos, along with Jocelyn, walked to a 7-Eleven convenience store.
Authorities this week released images taken from surveillance video from the 7-Eleven where Nungaray was last seen.
Afterward, the three of them walked to a bridge, where investigators said Nungaray was murdered. Rangel Martinez and Pena Ramos then walked to the apartment they shared and left the girl’s body behind, police said. Police believe the pair lived in the same apartment complex as Nungaray.
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Video image of Johan Jose Rangel Martinez, 21, and Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, 26, and image of Jocelyn Nungaray. The men are charged in the death of the 12-year-old Houston girl. (Houston Police Department; Fox Houston Courtesy of the Nungaray family)
Alexis Nungaray said her daughter possibly saw the pair around, but was not known to talk to strangers.
“Maybe they were seen in the complex, but she normally wouldn’t walk around,” she told the news station.
The Harris County medical examiner reported that Jocelyn died as a result of strangulation. Authorities could not confirm if the girl was sexually assaulted.
When questioned about reports that the men are from Venezuela, police declined to answer and said their legal status had not yet been verified as of Thursday.
“We have reached out to HSI (Homeland Security Investigations) and they are conducting that part of the investigation in terms of their status, and legality here, and those types of things. So, I would defer you to them on the confirmation of those things,” Acting Police Chief Acting Chief Larry J. Satterwhite told reporters.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE).
Following the arrests, Whitmire said the court system has to do its job and ensure both suspects are tried in a timely manner.
Houston police Lt. Stephen Hope at a news conference talking about Nungaray’s murder. (Houston Police Department)
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“We’re gonna be watching you; the arrests have taken place, and the charges have been filed. Now, we want the justice system to do its job. If there was ever a circumstance where you do not give someone bail, this is it,” he said.