Jocelyn Nungaray, 12, fought back with her dying breaths — leaving bite and scratch marks on illegal migrant: prosecutors
HOUSTON, Texas — Little Jocelyn Nungaray fought back against her attackers after she was lured under a Houston bridge and assaulted for two hours — leaving scratch and bite marks on one of the illegal migrants who is accused of killing her, prosecutors revealed Tuesday.
Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel, 21, still had the marks Jocelyn left on him when he was arrested, Assistant District Attorney Megan Long said in a Harris County court.
Martinez-Rangel’s alleged accomplice, Franklin Jose Peña Ramos, 26, told cops he tried to convince Martinez-Rangel to stop but he allegedly refused and climbed on top of the girl and strangled her, according to Long.
However, Martinez-Rangel allegedly responded that he had to “finish what he started” as he covered her mouth, Long said.
The chilling details came as Harris County District Court Judge Josh Hill set a $10 million bail for Martinez-Rangel and labeled him a likely flight risk.
Hill said the decision for such a high bail amount was because he didn’t want Peña or Martinez-Rangel to flee, but also didn’t want them to get deported and escape justice in the US.
“I’ve seen individuals go into ICE custody, go through the deportation or removal process where they have been ordered to be removed …. and that the feds have deported or removed those individuals with the Harris County criminal charges still pending,” the judge said.
“And it puts us in the position where those charges would never be answered.”
Prosecutors said Martinez-Rangel — who appeared in court wearing a yellow jumpsuit and surrounded by several bailiffs — shaved his beard in an attempt to alter his appearance after the horrific attack.
After the killing, Peña allegedly sent a message to their boss at a construction crew saying the two had been partying that night and that someone ended up dead, prosecutors said.
Jocelyn’s family, including her mother, Alexis, was in court for the appearance. One family member was later escorted out of the courtroom after yelling at Martinez-Rangel through tears.
Follow along with The Post's reporting on Jocelyn Nungaray's murder
- The illegal Venezuelan migrants accused of murdering Jocelyn Nungaray in Houston lured the 12-year-old girl under a bridge, where they stripped her naked to the waist and assaulted her for two hours, disturbing new court documents allege.
- Both Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel and Franklin Jose Peña Ramos were seen on surveillance video entering a 7-Eleven with Jocelyn the night she was killed and before the two walked her to a bridge, where her body was later found half-naked and strangled.
- Peña, 26, and Martinez-Rangel, 21, allegedly bound Jocelyn’s hands behind her back during the brutal assault, then strangled her and dumped her body in a bayou.
- Department of Homeland Security sources said Peña crossed into El Paso, Texas, on May 28. He was released soon after his interaction with border agents.
- Jocelyn fought back against her attackers after she was lured under the bridge and assaulted — leaving scratch and bite marks on one of the illegal migrants who is accused of killing her.
- Peña was given an ankle monitor when he was released into the US after being caught at the border in May, according to Homeland Security sources. He reportedly cut off the monitor after Jocelyn’s body was found.
- Republicans slammed the White House for its “pathetic” and “shameful” statements on the killings of Jocelyn and Maryland mother of five Rachel Morin — which never mentioned they were murdered by illegal immigrants
Long said Martinez-Rangel — a father of two whose family is not in Texas — admitted to tying the little girl up and throwing her body in a bayou, but claimed he did not kill her.
His court appearance follows the bond hearing for Peña, who entered the country just a month before Jocelyn’s murder.
The judge set Peña’s bond at $10 million Monday — double what prosecutors requested and 10 times the sum sought by the defense.
Martinez-Rangel and Peña on June 16 allegedly lured Jocelyn under a bridge, where they stripped her naked to the waist and assaulted her for two hours, disturbing court documents allege.
Jocelyn’s feet were also bound and her back was covered in cuts, according to KPRC.
Peña was given an ankle monitor when he was released into the US after being caught at the border in May, according to Homeland Security sources. He cut off the monitor after Jocelyn’s body was found, the source said.
Martinez-Rangel crossed the border illegally at El Paso on March 14 and was also given an ankle monitor, which authorities removed in May after determining he had no known criminal history.
Peña crossed into El Paso on May 29, The Post first reported last week, telling agents he was going to live with his cousin in Houston.
Before federal authorities released him into the country, he was fitted with an ankle monitor that was set to track his location for 21 days — which he cut off two days after Jocelyn’s body was found.
“Our immigration system is broken and if there was ever a case that reflected that, it’s this one,” DA Kim Ogg said during a press conference following Peña’s Monday hearing.
Both Martinez-Rangel and Peña were seen on surveillance video entering a 7-Eleven with Jocelyn the night she was killed and before the two walked her to a bridge, where her body was later found half-naked and strangled.
Jocelyn’s family said the 12-year-old snuck out of her home the night she was killed and met up with the suspects after walking out.
Jocelyn’s mother, Alexis Nungaray, said Monday that the killers took her daughter and all the opportunities she had ahead of her away.
“She was amazing, I still see her face in the back of my head every day, all day. I keep getting little signs about her throughout the days and it’s been a very, very hard time for me and my family,” Nungaray said.
“She had such a bright future ahead of her and I knew she was gonna go very far and these monsters took that opportunity from her, from our family.”
