The funeral of Jocelyn Nungaray, the 12-year-old Houston girl allegedly killed by two illegal immigrants and left for dead in a creek, will be held Thursday.
Jim McIngvale, known in and around the Houston area as “Mack Mattress,” is footing the bill for the service and will host a celebration of Nungaray’s life at one of his Gallery Furniture stores. Nungaray was found strangled to death last week near a creek, a crime that shocked and angered local officials and sparked questions about the Biden administration’s border policy.
Days after the June 16 attack, Harris County prosecutors charged two illegal immigrants from Venezuela — Johan Jose Rangel Martinez, 21, and Franklin Jose Peña Ramos, 26 — with capital murder. The two men lured Nungaray under a bridge and sexually assaulted her for two hours before killing her, authorities said.
“THE EVIDENCE IS CLEAR THAT A SEXUAL ASSAULT PROBABLY HAPPENED,” PROSECUTOR SAYS
Jocelyn Nungaray, 12, was found strangled to death in a Houston creek. (Fox Houston courtesy of the Nungaray family)
“She would have gone to the same high school that two of my children graduated from if she had reached that level. It’s obviously a heartbreaking story. So I was more than happy to take care of the funeral arrangements.” McIngvale said. Fox News Digital. “No matter what you think of migrants – illegal or legal – if they hadn’t been here, she would still be alive.”
Ramos was wearing a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ankle monitor at the time he allegedly murdered Nungaray.
His death came amid a series of horrific crimes across the country, allegedly involving illegal immigrants. Last week, Houston Mayor John Whitmire raised concerns about the Harris County criminal justice system’s ability to prosecute the two suspects.
“We’re going to be watching you; the arrests have been made and the charges have been filed. Now we want the justice system to do its job. If there’s ever a circumstance where you don’t give someone bail, this is that,” he said at a press conference.
Bail for both men was set at $10 million.
SUSPECT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CHARGED WITH JOCELYN NUNGARAY KILLER WEARED ICE ANKLE MONITOR
Jim McIngvale smiles before throwing out a ceremonial first pitch before a game between the Houston Astros and the New York Yankees at Minute Maid Park. (Troy Taormina/USA Today Sports)
The wait for a murder case to go to trial in Harris County can take years, McIngvale said, adding that Houston officials have told him.
“Families have to go to five or six hearings while they postpone, postpone, postpone, and here is the perpetrator laughing and puking with his family and his lawyers,” he said. “He’s probably out on bail. It’s just crazy.”
McIngvale, who has often reached out to victims of crime and natural disasters in the Houston area, said criminals are not fully prosecuted in Harris County. He cited neighboring Montgomergy County, where he said criminal offenders are normally held accountable.
Franklin Jose Peña Ramos, left, and Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel have been charged with the murder of Jocelyn Nungaray in Houston. (Harris County Jail)
“They have footage of these criminals being chased by police all the way to Montgomery County. And they come into Montgomery County, turn around and go back to Harris County,” McIngvale said. “They want to be arrested in Harris County.”
In response to the killing, Sen. Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, called for Martinez and Ramos to be sentenced to death if convicted.
Jocelyn Nungaray’s mother, Alexis Nungaray, speaks after Pena Ramos’ court appearance on June 24, 2024. (KRIV)
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“This is horrible. If guilty, these two men should receive the death penalty for this horrible crime,” Cruz wrote last week on X. “These men are illegal aliens and Jocelyn Nungaray would always alive and with his family without Joe Biden is open border policies. The Biden administration is directly responsible for this. My thoughts are with Jocelyn’s family.”
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