CBS News
Arrests made after 12-year-old Houston girl found dead in creek; one suspect allegedly tried to escape off balcony
Two men who were seen on surveillance footage with a 12-year-old girl before her body was found in a Houston creek earlier this week were arrested Thursday in her death, police said. One of the suspects tried to jump off a balcony and escape before officers caught him, a neighbor told CBS affiliate KHOU-TV.
Johan Jose Rangel Martinez, 21, and Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, 26, each face a charge of capital murder in the killing of Jocelyn Nungaray, police said. The medical examiner has determined that her cause of death was strangulation.
It was unclear if the two suspects had attorneys yet to speak on their behalf. Their names were not listed in jail or court records as of Thursday afternoon.
Jocelyn’s body was found in the shallow water of a creek early Monday morning. Police have said that she sneaked out of her nearby home the night before.
Police said that surveillance footage showed the men meeting up with Jocelyn before walking to a convenience store with her.
The three then walked to the bridge together where Jocelyn was killed, police said. It was not known yet if Jocelyn knew the men, who were roommates, police said.
Police said the results of a sexual assault exam on the victim are pending.
Police on Tuesday had released photos from the surveillance footage of the two men, who were called persons of interest at that time.
Neighbors at the complex where the arrests were made arrived at about 4 a.m. and used a loudspeaker to order the men to come out, KHOU-TV reported. When they didn’t, officers approached the second-floor apartment with their weapons drawn.
A neighbor told KHOU-TV one of the suspects tried to jump off the balcony to get away but officers had the place surrounded and they quickly grabbed him.
Residents told the station that Ramos and Martinez often sat on their balcony and yelled at women who passed by.
Forensic investigators were seen removing boxes of evidence from the apartment on Thursday, KHOU-TV reported.
Acting Houston Police Chief Larry Satterwhite said the department worked around the clock to identify the killers and begin the process of finding justice for Jocelyn and her family.
“Their hard work paid off. We were able to find video and trace the movements of the suspects and Jocelyn, all the way to the bayou where she was murdered,” Satterwhite said.
Jocelyn’s mother, Alexis Nungaray, described her daughter as spunky, goofy, and loving, KHOU-TV reported.
“I’m, like, angry that they took advantage of her. She was so young. She was 12, you took my baby away, you took her away,” she said. “Now, I get to let her little brother know his older sister is never coming home.”
The Republican National Committee’s 2024 platform, approved by its platform committee and released Monday, is influenced heavily by presumptive presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump, and in a change from prior years, it backs the rights of states to make their own abortion laws.
The 2016 RNC platform mentioned the word “abortion” 35 times and backed a constitutional amendment to ban abortion: “[W]e assert the sanctity of human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental right to life which cannot be infringed,” the RNC’s 2016 platform said. “We support a human life amendment to the Constitution and legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment’s protections apply to children before birth.”
The Republican Party did not release a platform in 2020. And the 2024 platform only mentions the word once.
“We proudly stand for families and life,” the 2024 platform says. “We believe that the 14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States guarantees that no person can be denied life or liberty without due process,” but it goes on to say, “the states are, therefore, free to pass laws protecting those rights.”
The platform has been initially approved by the RNC committee, but is expected to go to a full vote Tuesday and be officially approved the first day of the Republican National Convention next week.
It also goes on to express opposition to late-term abortion and support for “policies that advance prenatal care, access to birth control, and IVF (fertility treatments).”
Ralph Reed, founder and chairman of the Faith and Freedom coalition, previously expressed concerns about removing abortion language, but he appeared to fall in line and back the GOP platform as released.
“The Republican Party platform makes clear the unborn child has a right to life that is protected by the Constitution under the due process clause of the 14th Amendment,” Reed said in a statement. “That language has been in the GOP platform for 40 years and reflects the view of Ronald Reagan. While aspirational, it applies to both the states and the federal government. The proposed ban on late-term abortion also implies federal as well as state action. It is an unapologetically pro-life position, and we are grateful to President Trump and the Republican Party for standing for life.”
RNC Chairman Michael Whatley and Co-chair Lara Trump focused on the economy and the border in their statement on the platform.
“Only President Trump can restore our economy, restore our southern border, and restore America’s standing in the world,” the two RNC leaders said in a joint statement. “His 2024 Republican Party Platform is a bold roadmap that will undo the devastating damage that Joe Biden’s far-left policies have done to this country, power President Trump to a historic victory in November, and Make America Great Again.”
The platform is titled, “2024 GOP Platform: Make America Great Again!” It bears clear signs of the former president’s influence, emphasizing enforcing border security and stopping the “migrant crime epidemic.” The platform includes a goal to carry out “the largest deportation operation in American history.”
The platform also proposes building a “great iron dome missile defense shield over our entire country.”
Trump and his campaign have also adopted a new proposal in recent months — eliminating taxes on tips. Trump mentions it frequently at rallies, and it appears in the RNC 2024 platform, along with a promise to end inflation, which has been easing.
The GOP also states in the platform that there will be no cuts to Social Security or Medicare and no changes to the retirement age. It also says that the push for electric vehicles should be canceled and regulations should be cut. And it calls for “same day voting, voter identification, paper ballots, and proof of citizenship” as means to “secure our elections.”
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
