The two men accused of strangling the 12-year-old girl were previously arrested by border patrol and released.
Police released mugshots Friday of the two men suspected of killing a 12-year-old girl in Houston, Texas, earlier this week in a grisly murder that’s gained nationwide attention for the horrific details and the immigration status of the suspects.
Johan Jose Rangel Martinez, 21, and Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, 26, were both charged with capital murder for Jocelyn Nungaray’s death, after her body was found in a creek in the early hours of Monday.
The pair, both Venezuelan nationals, entered the United States illegally, a spokesperson for ICE confirmed to Newsweek on Friday afternoon.
Martinez and Ramos “illegally entered the U.S. without inspection, parole or admission by a U.S. immigration officer on an unknown date and at an unknown location”, according to the statement.
Martinez was apprehended by border patrol officials near El Paso on March 14, while Pena was apprehended two months later also near El Paso, according to immigration officials.
