Texas officials, crime victims advocates call for tougher bail law after murder of Jocelyn Nungaray
The two illegal immigrants charged with the killing of a 12-year-old Houston girl are being held on $10 million bonds.
Jocelyn Nungaray, the 12-year-old girl allegedly killed by illegal immigrants in Texas, was sexually assaulted before being strangled, according to her family and recent forensic tests.
Nungaray's family confirmed to FOX 26 Houston on Tuesday that she was sexually assaulted before she was killed.
Two Venezuelan nationals – 21-year-old Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel and 26-year-old Franklin Jose Peña Ramos – are charged with capital murder in connection with her death. The two men crossed illegally into the U.S. earlier this year.
Both suspects are accused of luring her under a bridge, strangling her and leaving her for dead in a creek.
Jocelyn Nungaray, 12, was found strangled to death in a Houston creek. (Fox Houston courtesy of the Nungaray family)
The Harris County District Attorney's Office received the lab results in connection with the investigation into Nungaray's death.
While the test results show she appeared to have been sexually assaulted, as semen was found on her, the DNA match has not come back yet, a source close to the investigation told Fox News.
The Harris County District Attorney's Office said in a statement to Fox News it will have "no comment on the evidence in this case until the appropriate time." The Houston Forensic Science Center declined to provide details.
The family now awaits the court's acknowledgment of the new evidence, and seeks a revoked bond as they look for justice in Nungaray's death.
Her grandfather, Kelvin Alvarenga, told FOX 26 that it is going to be nearly impossible for the family to "get rid of this feeling of loss."
If the suspects are found guilty of sexual assault, they would be eligible for the death penalty, which Nungaray's family opposes because they would rather the suspects sit with what they did for the rest of their lives.
"I want them to remember Jocy the rest of their life," Melfri Vargas, Alvarenga's wife, told FOX 26. "I want, every time they go to sleep, they remember what they did and show the others you don’t mess with our child, you don’t mess with the United States, you don’t mess with Texas."
Franklin Jose Peña Ramos, left, and Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel, right, have been charged in connection with the murder of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray in Houston, Texas. (Harris County Jail)
With the suspects in this case being two illegal immigrants, the little girl's death has sparked political discourse over U.S. immigration policy.
"I want them not to just use my granddaughter as a political base, but to know her name is Jocelyn Nungaray," Alvarenga told FOX 26. "We just want to make a difference for Jocy. We don’t want Jocy's memory or name to be easily forgotten."
Alvarenga would like the individuals responsible for Nungaray's death to face life without parole, stressing the importance of them being reminded every day of what they did to the girl.
"I rather for them to remember this in general population," he said. "Life without parole, that way they can remember every night when they go to bed, the horrific deal that they did to our family."
Her family said they are grateful for the support they have received from city and state leaders, and former President Trump.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SUSPECT ACCUSED OF KILLING JOCELYN NUNGARAY WORE ICE ANKLE MONITOR
Jocelyn Nungaray, 12, was sexually assaulted before being strangled, according to recent forensic tests. (Getty Images)
"God bless him, because at the telling of the day, I wouldn’t want my daughter's accident to go as another statistic for the city of Houston or the state of Texas. With former President Trump reaching out, my blessings to him and God bless him," Alvarenga said.
Nungaray's mother, Alexis, has been struggling in the aftermath of her daughter's death, family told FOX 26. Nungaray also had a 5-year-old brother who the family said asks for his sister every day and wishes to be with her.
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"She's a single mom and one of the hardest things for her and us to explain to a 5-year-old that his Cici will not be at home anymore," Vargas said. "He asks when is he going to see Cici. We try to explain the best way we can to a little one. It's not an easy thing to do. He always asks for her, he wants to go see her."
The two suspects are due back in court in September.
Fox News' Nate Foy contributed to this report.
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