Authorities are investigating two illegal immigrants charged with the murder of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray in Houston last summer for possible connections to the notorious Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
Tren de Aragua has been thrust to the forefront of the national conversation surrounding immigration after footage emerged of armed gang members at an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado.
New search warrants issued last month to TikTok by Houston Police and investigators from the Harris County District Attorney’s Office revealed that Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel and Franklin Jose Pena Ramos had displayed signs of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua on their social media profiles.
Franklin Pena and Johan Martinez-Rangel have been indicted for capital murder in Harris County, with each facing a $10 million bond following the murder.
Investigators wrote in the warrant, “TdA will use certain slang and emojis in their communications with one another to identify themselves.”
Judge Josh Hill granted a request from Houston Police Department detectives to obtain TikTok records that may confirm Martinez and Pena’s gang connections, strengthening the capital murder charges against them.
Tren de Aragua members often display subtle symbols on social media profiles, such as specific hand signs, wearing Michael Jordan or Chicago Bulls gear, and small tattoos featuring a clock, train, rose, or two stars on the shoulder.
The gang also incorporates certain slang and emojis in communications, such as a ninja, crossed swords, and an icon of a classical building.
TikTok accounts linked to the men display these emojis, with Pena specifically sharing photos of his tattoos, including stars on each shoulder and a rose on his hand.
The suspects in Jocelyn’s case, both Venezuelan nationals, entered the United States illegally, a spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) previously confirmed to Newsweek.
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 ICE’s statement.
On May 31, 2024, the day he was released from a border patrol facility wearing a GPS ankle monitor, he shared a photo showcasing his Air Jordan shoes. Investigators also noted that the photo seemed to have been taken at Sacred Heart Church in El Paso, Texas, where he stayed following his release.
Nungaray’s body was found in a Houston creek on June 17. Testifying before a House Committee last month, her mother, Alexis Nungaray, revealed that her daughter had been sexually assaulted and strangled to death.
Governor Greg Abbott officially designated the crime syndicate as a foreign terrorist organization in September.
Abbott is offering a $5,000 bounty for information that leads to the capture of members of the notorious Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) that has “spread terror and carnage” across the United States.
“Tren de Aragua has spread terror and carnage in every country they’ve been in, and Texas will not allow them to gain a foothold in our state,” Governor Abbott said in a previous statement.
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