One of the illegal immigrants accused of killing little Jocelyn Nungaray wants the story kept out of the media spotlight, with his lawyer arguing that national attention “would likely lead to undue prejudice.”
Franklin’s attorney Jose Peña Ramos is seeking an injunction to prevent Houston officials from making “extrajudicial statements” or releasing information about the case publicly, reports Fox News, which has obtained a copy of the filing.
Peña Ramos, 26, and Johan Jose Rangel Martinez, 21, who both entered the country illegally through the southern border, are accused of capital crimes.
They are accused of luring Jocelyn under a bridge in June and abusing her for two hours before strangling her to death and dumping her bound and stripped body into a Houston bayou.
Her story quickly became part of the national conversation about the border, amid a series of high-profile crimes allegedly committed by illegal immigrants.
In their latest filing, Peña Ramos’ legal team accused Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg of “making numerous statements about the case that went beyond what the prosecutor said during the probable cause hearing,” the report said.
The documents quoted Ogg’s previous statements in which she said, “Make no mistake, this is a horrific crime” and “the immigration system is broken.”
A spokesman for Ogg’s office declined to comment.
Ultimately, Peña Ramos’ legal team asked those involved in the case to “refrain from making any further out-of-court statements regarding this case and from further disseminating any information regarding this case, whether or not the information has been previously made available to the public, and to pursue any other appropriate and equitable remedies in this case.”
The next morning, Jocelyn’s body was found naked from the waist down.
Jocelyn’s story not only made headlines in the media, it also became the subject of a bill introduced by Republican Senator Ted Cruz to make it more difficult to release illegal immigrants from federal prisons.
Jocelyn Nungaray’s family appeared at the southern border in Arizona last week alongside former President Donald Trump.
During the visit, Jocelyn’s mother Alexis spoke out about the system that allowed her daughter’s alleged murderers to enter the United States.
“There were over 300 detention beds they should have been in,” Nungaray said of the two suspected killers, one of whom wore an ICE ankle bracelet during the murder, which he later cut off.
“They were arrested and released when they should not have been released,” she argued.
“We are losing very innocent people to heinous crimes that should not be happening at all,” Nungaray complained.