Latest news with #Jocelyn
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Snowflex Hill brings winter activities into summer at Sleepy Hollow
DES MOINES, Iowa — The Sleepy Hollow Snowflex Hill brings winter fun into the summer, and people are already racing for the slopes. The project was started in 2022 and is part of Polk County Conservation's efforts to bring year-round activities to the park. The hill has many perks, including the ability to entertain large parties, a moving walkway, and it isn't cold. 'One of the things that we really wanted was we wanted to be able to do the wintertime things in the summer, you know, make everything as accessible as we possibly can with this surface,' said Samual Lorton, Sleepy Hollow Operations Team Lead. 'This is called snow flex. It's an irrigated system. So they can come out and they can go tubing in the middle of summertime, just like it's winter.' The Snowflex Hill at Sleepy Hollow is the world's largest at over 600 feet long. Tubing is the main activity, but visitors are still able to enjoy snowboarding and skiing on certain nights of the week. VR Headset offers new way for Des Moines lifeguards to train Snowflex has been open for a few weeks and has been a hit. 'I came out here because it was my birthday and it just seemed super fun to go sledding in summer,' said Jocelyn, whose favorite part was 'Going down and like spinning around and going like three rounds because when you go down, like at the end, it sometimes takes you up on the green for airtime.' Sleepy Hollow says the hill is fully accessible, so anyone can enjoy it. 'We'll see kids, you know, kids four or five years old coming out here and enjoying it all the way up to. We have a lot of grandmas and grandpas that bring out their grandkids, and grandma and grandpa can go tubing,' said Lorton. 'We always like to say the joke that as long as gravity works, you're fine.' The park is open Wednesday through Sunday from noon to 6 p.m., with extended hours till 10 p.m. on Saturday. Specialty hours for snowboarders and skiers are Wednesday from 8 to 10 p.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Illegal immigrant suspect in Jocelyn Nungaray's murder now accused of prior sexual assault in Costa Rica
One of two suspects charged in Jocelyn Nungaray's murder is now accused of raping an American woman in Costa Rica, according to former Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg. Two Venezuelan illegal immigrants who may have ties to the Tren de Aragua gang — Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, 26, and Johan Jose Rangel Martinez, 21 — are charged in the 12-year-old's June 2024 murder. They allegedly sexually assaulted and strangled the pre-teen to death, leaving her body tied up in a bayou in Houston. Ogg told FOX 26 Houston last week that she learned over the course of her investigation as DA, before her successor Sean Teare took office last year, that Pena Ramos had been involved in a prior sexual assault in Costa Rica involving an American woman who was apparently on vacation at the time. "It happened in Costa Rica. It happened to an American citizen who came forward with that information after their pictures were shown on national television," Ogg told the outlet. "When she reported it to the authorities in Costa Rica, they did nothing. Imagine the frustration of that individual. I don't want that to be swept under the carpet." Mom Of Girl Allegedly Killed By Illegals Says Wildlife Refuge Renaming 'Means The World' To Family The victim is not from Texas but felt compelled to come forward when Nungaray's murder made national headlines and she saw the suspects' photos on the news. Read On The Fox News App "The courage of any crime victim to come forward like that is remarkable to me and that played a major role in determining whether the death penalty is appropriate," Ogg told FOX 26. Texas Wildlife Refuge Renamed For Murdered 12-Year-old, Jocelyn Nungaray, Unveils Signage: 'Her Life Mattered' Ogg, who was seeking the death penalty for both suspects while in office, added that "authorities had no idea of their past behavior," such as charges in other countries, which "makes it hard to determine if someone is going to be a future danger." The former district attorney said she came forward with the information to FOX 26 now because she is "very concerned about the decisions" that Teare "has been making," referencing multiple cases that have been dismissed recently. "I think it's important for the public to get the final say," Ogg added. "Do they deserve death for the rape and murder of Jocelyn? Or should they spend their life in the penitentiary? What I don't want is some backdoor deal done in the quiet of the night and a long time after people have forgotten the horror of this case. I just want people to remember Jocelyn, and I want them to hear and make a decision about the evidence." Illegal Immigrant Admitted To Killing Woman On Her 21St Birthday Alexis Nungaray, Jocelyn's mother, has since become an advocate for victims of crimes allegedly committed by illegal immigrants. In a May interview, Alexis Nungaray described the 12-year-old as "a very creative, talented, free-spirited 12-year-old girl." Nungaray said Jocelyn "was very quirky" and "an old soul." She liked dressing in 1990s-style cargo jeans and Converse and loved listening to music from as far back as the 1940s and 1950s. Texas Da Seeking Death Penalty In Jocelyn Nungaray Case Warns Migrant Criminals: 'You Cannot Run And Hide' "She was very different and unique. She was an amazing friend," Nungaray said. Nungaray also said she is grateful to President Donald Trump for both his support and for "keeping his promises" regarding immigration enforcement. Da To Seek Death Penalty Against Illegal Immigrants Accused In Nungaray Murder Case "I support immigration, but I say there's just a right way and a wrong way to do it," she explained. "He's protecting the people, and he's taking consideration to the people, us the citizens and making sure we're safe and our kids are safe, women are safe, that we're all safe in our communities." "We've still got a long way to go," she went on. "But I will always advocate for her and be her voice and stand up for better border control and immigration laws. Because I know 1 million percent, Jocelyn's death should have been preventable." WATCH: JOCELYN NUNGARAY'S MOTHER TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS Pena Ramos illegally crossed into El Paso, Texas, in May 2024, sources with the Department of Homeland Security previously confirmed to Fox News. He was caught by Border Patrol agents and was released into the U.S. with a Notice to Appear in court. Rangel Martinez also crossed illegally into El Paso in March and was caught by Border Patrol. He was released into the U.S. on an unknown basis. Jocelyn had been at a convenience store and was talking to her 13-year-old boyfriend on the phone after sneaking out of her family's apartment. The boyfriend told investigators that he could hear Nungaray talking with two people. Fox News' Peter Pinedo contributed to this article source: Illegal immigrant suspect in Jocelyn Nungaray's murder now accused of prior sexual assault in Costa Rica
New York Post
03-06-2025
- New York Post
Ex-Houston DA reveals sick twist in Jocelyn Nungaray murder case as concerns about successor's soft-on-crime agenda grow
One of the illegal migrants accused of raping and killing little Jocelyn Nungaray and dumping her body in a Houston bayou allegedly raped another victim before the youngster's vicious slaying, the former district attorney revealed — as she expressed concerns with her successor's lax prosecution style. During Democrat Kim Ogg's investigation into the 12-year-old's barbaric murder a year ago, a woman came forward claiming that Franklin Jose Pena Ramos sexually assaulted her while she was vacationing in Costa Rica, the former DA told Fox 26 Houston Thursday. 3 Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel, 22, and Franklin Pena, 26, were both charged with capital murder. Houston Police Department Ogg has known about the rape allegation since late last year as she began pursuing the death penalty against the alleged killers before she left her post. She said she felt compelled to come forward now because she's 'very concerned about the decisions' the new Democratic DA, Sean Teare, has been making that include dismissing multiple cases. A spokesperson for Teare's office didn't immediately respond to The Post's request for comment. 3 Jocelyn Nungaray was killed on June 16, 2024. Gofundme 'I think it's important for the public to get the final say. Do they deserve death for the rape and murder of Jocelyn? Or should they spend their life in the penitentiary?' said Ogg. Ogg said she fears 'some backdoor deal' being 'done in the quiet of the night and a long time after people have forgotten the horror of this case. 'I just want people to remember Jocelyn, and I want them to hear and make a decision about the evidence,' she added. The unidentified victim came forward to Ogg's office after spotting pictures of Pena on television following the June 16, 2024, murder. The woman said Pena attacked her while she was on vacation in Costa Rica, but that authorities there 'did nothing' when she reported it to them. 3 Alexis Nungaray speaks about her daughter Jocelyn, who was allegedly murdered by two illegal migrants from Venezuela last June. AP Jocelyn's mother, Alexis Nungaray, wasn't surprised by the latest revelation in the case, saying she 'always felt … that this was never their first time, especially Pena.' 'To just know that this happened to another woman, it hurts my heart. A piece of me shatters a little bit,' she said. 'I pray that no other woman has had to look in his eyes while they have their vulnerability taken from them, but if there are any others, I pray that they have the courage and the strength to come forward and help shed light on an open case,' she said.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mom of girl allegedly killed by illegals says wildlife refuge renaming 'means the world' to family
EXCLUSIVE: Alexis Nungaray, the mother of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, whose murder authorities say was at the hands of two illegal immigrants suspected to be Tren de Aragua gang members, told Fox News Digital that renaming a local wildlife refuge in her daughter's honor would mean "the world" to her family. Jocelyn Nungaray was sexually assaulted and strangled to death, allegedly by two Venezuelan illegals, Franklin Jose Pena Ramos and Johan Jose Rangel Martinez, who were let through the southern border during the Biden administration. Her body was found tied up in a bayou in Houston. Since her daughter's murder, Alexis Nungaray has become a vocal advocate for increased border security and a supporter of President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. In an interview with Fox News Digital, Nungaray said the tragic manner of Jocelyn's death "takes away [from] who she was as a person." However, she said that the renaming of a 39,000-acre wildlife refuge on the Texas Gulf Coast preserves Jocelyn's memory for what she loved in life. Trump Honors Lives Of Laken Riley, Jocelyn Nungaray While Celebrating Strides On Securing Border Trump issued an executive order on March 5 renaming the former Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge in southeast Houston to the Jocelyn Nungaray National Wildlife Refuge. Read On The Fox News App Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Rep. Brian Babin, R-Texas, have since introduced bills to enshrine Trump's executive order into law, making it more difficult for a future president to change the name of the refuge back. The Senate has already passed the bill, and Babin is working to pass it in the House. Babin told Fox News Digital that his bill to codify Trump's renaming of the refuge after Jocelyn is receiving bipartisan support and that he expects it will be passed by the House soon and be immediately signed by the president. "This is a beautiful place. And if we name it after her, I think we will preserve her legacy," he said. "The main thing we need to remember is that this can never be allowed to happen again," he added. "We get this thing in law, codified, no future president can ever undo this. And so, we will have a memory of what happens when you have bad policies that can create a system that will allow this to happen to innocent people like Jocelyn." Texas Lawmakers Seek To Get Federal Reimbursement For Biden-era Border Control Expenses Nungaray said the effort to rename the refuge "touches every part of my heart and my family's heart." "Everyone who knew Jocelyn knew she loved animals so much, knew she loved nature, wildlife," explained Nungaray. "She truly loved all animals and all creatures, and she wanted every animal to have a place to call home." "Knowing that this national wildlife refuge is a place for a bunch of wild animals that travel through the country, and it is somewhere that they can call home, and it is somewhere that they can find a place of safety for them. I just know it would absolutely mean the world to her to know she has something in honor of her in that nature." She said that seeing the signs going up around Houston bearing her daughter's name is "bittersweet." Texas Gang Members Sentenced For Human Smuggling After High-speed Border Chases "I went out there to just go see what it was about, what it was like, and the amount of peace I felt just being there, it was just so pure and so peaceful," said Nungaray. "Immediately I thought Jocelyn would love this. She would love to be out here." Click Here For More Immigration Coverage "She wasn't just a 12-year-old girl who was strangled and left in a bayou of water," Nungaray went on. "She was a very creative, talented, free-spirited 12-year-old girl." Smiling, Nungaray added that Jocelyn "was very quirky" and "an old soul." She liked dressing in 1990s-style cargo jeans and Converse and loved listening to music from as far back as the 1940s and 1950s. "She was very different and unique. She was an amazing friend," said Nungaray. Ted Cruz Mocks 'Crazy Town' Dems As Maryland Senator Gets Defensive About Advocacy For Alleged Ms-13 Member Nungaray said she is very grateful to Trump for both his support and for "keeping his promises" regarding immigration enforcement. "I support immigration, but I say there's just a right way and a wrong way to do it," she explained. "He's protecting the people, and he's taking consideration to the people, us the citizens and making sure we're safe and our kids are safe, women are safe, that we're all safe in our communities." "We've still got a long way to go," she went on. "But I will always advocate for her and be her voice and stand up for better border control and immigration laws. Because I know one-million percent Jocelyn's death should have been preventable."Original article source: Mom of girl allegedly killed by illegals says wildlife refuge renaming 'means the world' to family
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Texas lawmakers debate bills to curb illegal immigration
Under President Donald Trump's renewed administration, Texas has emerged as a key frontline in the push for aggressive immigration enforcement and widespread deportations. Texas residents – regardless of immigration status – feel the ripple effects in the economy, schools, healthcare systems, courts and public safety services. To better understand these challenges, KXAN spent the first 100 days of Trump's second term producing 'Undocumented,' a comprehensive project diving into the real-life consequences of related policies and proposals. AUSTIN (Nexstar) – Inside a climate-controlled storage unit just outside Houston is an almost identical layout of Jocelyn Nungaray's childhood room. Her mom, Alexis, points out all the small details she took into account when recreating her daughter's room, including how she hung the movie and video game posters that adorned her wall. 'Some of them are crooked because she had them crooked, but she thought they were straight and she thought they were fine,' Nungaray said with a smile. Nungaray visits this room weekly. She says it's good to be surrounded by the memories of her daughter and her belongings, some of which still carry her scent. 'It just makes me feel like she's still alive,' Nungaray said. Jocelyn was killed last June. Houston police say they found her body in shallow water underneath a bridge within walking distance of her home. Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel and Franklin Pena, two Venezuelan nationals, are charged with sexual assault and murder. Her death shocked the local community, but its impact was far-reaching. Kim Ogg, the Harris County District Attorney, announced in December she is seeking the death penalty against the accused. Federal immigration authorities say the two men were in the country illegally at the time of the murder. Jocelyn's story gained traction across the country in the midst of a presidential election as Republicans ridiculed President Joe Biden's border policies. It's also inspired bills working their way through the Texas legislature. 'She said it, whether she was famous or not, 'everyone's going to know my name. I promise you, everyone's going to know my name,'' Nungaray said. Since her daughter's death, she said she has devoted her life to advocating for Jocelyn. Three months after Joceyln died, Alexis traveled to Washington D.C. to provide testimony in front of the House Committee on the Judiciary. In her testimony, Nungaray said the Biden-Harris administration's border policies were responsible for Jocelyn's death. 'The program the two illegal immigrants were enrolled in failed my daughter, Jocelyn. I'm here to use my voice and raise awareness of how broken our country has become with our open border policies,' Nungaray said in her testimony. 'As a U.S citizen, it shouldn't be a privilege to have safety in this country. It should be a requirement.' Her advocacy effort has garnered support from Gov. Greg Abbott, who highlighted Jocelyn at his State of the State address in February. He became emotional talking about Jocelyn, saying, 'Justice for Jocelyn demands action. I demand legislation.' At the state level, Nungaray is advocating for SJR 1, a constitutional amendment that would deny bail to any person in the country illegally who is arrested and charged with a felony. It is called Jocelyn's Law. 'I truly believe if they didn't want to be held with no bail, no bond, they should not have committed such heinous crimes in the first place,' Nungaray said. It is part of a larger push for bail reform at the State Capitol this session. Nungaray provided testimony to the Senate Committee on Criminal Justice. The bill gained bipartisan support in the Texas Senate, passing out of the higher chamber in a 28-2 vote. 'No family should have to go through what Jocelyn's family and others have endured,' wrote Senators Carol Alvarado, D-Houston; Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio; and José Menéndez, D-San Antonio. 'SJR 1, which seeks to address serious public safety issues stemming from judges who are not following current state laws on bail, is a first step to ensuring dangerous offenders are not released.' However, while that group of Democratic senators supported the bill, they said they still have concerns, issuing a statement into the Senate journal following the vote to express them. The senators said they believed the way SJR 1 was written at the time will be found unconstitutional, violating the 5th and 14th amendments. The group also hopes to change the language so it narrows the focus to violent types of crime. 'As drafted, the current language applies to ALL state jail, first, second and third degree felony offenses, making it more difficult for judges to prioritize cases involving violent offenses,' the group wrote. The senators also worry about how broad the language is concerning the definition of 'illegal alien.' As it is written, Jocelyn's Law defines an illegal alien as anyone who entered the United States without inspection, or anyone who entered the country as a nonimmigrant and failed to maintain that status before they are accused of a crime. A nonimmigrant can be any foreign person allowed to enter the country for a certain amount of time and for a certain purpose, such as a student visa. The senators argue the language should be refined to 'ensure that those who may have initially entered the country without authorization but have since gone through the appropriate legal processes to gain lawful status are not impacted by this legislation.' Their final concern deals with the Laken Riley Act, which the United States Congress passed earlier this year. It requires the Department of Homeland Security to detain anyone in the country who is unauthorized and accused of committing a crime like burglary, theft, larceny or shoplifting. 'We must make sure that we are not shifting the cost of detention from the federal government to local taxpayers since counties are responsible for housing defendants pre-trial,' the group of senators argued. Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch is an immigration attorney and has been following SJR 1. She is concerned that local criminal courts will have to make decisions on someone's immigration status, a job she feels is better adjudicated in a federal court. 'Those are two independent systems and they should be independent because immigration is complicated and it's federal law,' Lincoln-Goldfinch said. 'I've represented people who've been accused of being terrorists just because they have tattoos. I've seen firsthand the way detention can be politicized. I, personally, do not trust the fact that that would not happen at the state level.' After Trump immigration order, ICE 'force multiplier' agreements with Texas police surge Critics of measures that factor citizenship into the criminal justice system point to studies that show undocumented immigrants have a lower arrest rate than U.S. citizens. A study from the National Institute of Justice – the research arm of the U.S. Department of Justice – analyzed data from the Texas Department of Public Safety and found 'undocumented immigrants are arrested at less than half the rate of native-born U.S. citizens for violent and drug crimes' in the state. Jocelyn's law would need to garner 100 votes to pass out of the Texas House since it is a constitutional amendment. In late April, Gov. Greg Abbott made multiple appearances across the state to advocate for the measure. 'Judges in Texas, they have to decide,' Abbott said to a coalition of sheriffs who operate on or near the U.S. border. 'Will they enforce the laws to protect the citizens they serve? Or make it easy on the criminals who kill them? I think the answer is clear. I think if sheriffs get behind us across Texas, it'll be an easy one to get across the finish line this session.' The next day in Houston, Abbott acknowledged the political reality behind the proposed amendment. 'I'll' be honest with you – straight forward, there are 88 Republicans in the Texas House who I know will support this proposal, and to get it passed, [it] would need 12 Democrats in the Texas House to agree to this,' he said. 'So it's just a matter of gaining the support of 12 Democrats.' However, getting the votes in the Texas House is not the last step. Texas voters would have to make the final decision at the ballot in November. Over the past four years, the state of Texas has spent more than $11 billion to, as Republican lawmakers say, curb illegal immigration as well as stop human trafficking and the flow of drugs coming up through the southern border. President Trump promised to close the border and has even sent US troops down to the southern border. The number of encounters at the southern border have gone down: enforcement encounters were 11,017 this past March, a drastic drop from a year ago when encounters were 189,359 in March 2024. How South Texas border communities have changed after Trump immigration policies enacted But even with the drop in numbers, this year's state budget shows another $6 billion allocated for Operation Lone Star, Abbott's mission to respond to the southern border that started during the Biden Administration. Lawmakers also introduced bills this session to require more companies to use E-Verify when hiring. E-Verify is a federal system to help employers verify an applicant is eligible to work in the United States. Under current law, only state agencies, higher education and sexually oriented businesses are required to use E-Verify services. Senate Bill 324, authored by State Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, would require both public and private employers to use the E-Verify system. The bill passed mostly down party lines 19-12, with state Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, being the lone 'no' Republican vote. Employing undocumented workers in Texas is illegal, but rarely enforced The bill does have a companion bill in the House but that has not yet been given a hearing date in the State Affairs committee. Texas is in the process of building its own state-funded border wall. The Texas Facilities Commission is responsible for carrying out the initiative. In April, the TFC reported it has completed 61.8 miles of border wall construction. The initiative has $2.5 billion of funding and the TFC director, Mike Novak, said the agency is ready to build about 85 miles of wall by summer 2026. The state has faced issues approaching landowners to lease parts of their land for the construction, according to the Texas Tribune. A few bills in the legislature look to help the TFC acquire more easement agreements. House Bill 247, by state Rep. Ryan Guillen, R-Rio Grande City, would give a property owner a tax break if they allow state or federal border barriers to be built on their property. Guillen said installing border security infrastructure on private land could create an unfair burden on landowners because it would increase their property value. It passed out of committee with a majority of support, 11-1. Another proposal, SB 316 by state Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, would allow the TFC to use eminent domain to acquire land for the construction of the border wall. That bill has been referred to the committee on Border Security, but has not been scheduled for a hearing. True to what she told her mother, Jocelyn's name is becoming well-known. Earlier this year, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to rename the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge to the Jocelyn Nungaray National Wildlife Refuge in honor of her memory and because she loved wildlife. Texas senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn filed legislation in the U.S. Capitol to codify the President's executive order. It would permanently change the name of the refuge about an hour east of Houston. But the connection of her name to Texas legislation has also brought some backlash. Alexis said her daughter's memorial, staged along the outer fencing of a skate park and right next to where her body was found, has been defaced. Nungaray, who is Latina, said she has faced criticism from the Latino community for her advocacy of the bill. She recalled a trip to Hobby Lobby where a store employee recognized her. Nungaray said the woman told her she was from Venezuela and apologized for what had happened to her daughter, but did say 'we're not all like that.' 'I'm just waiting': Texas immigrant among millions in years-long legal, administrative backlog Nungaray said the woman told her she is worried she could face deportation as President Donald Trump cracks down on the southern border and has promised to deport 'migrant criminals.' But Nungaray said she stands by her beliefs that anyone who entered the country illegally has already broken the law and does not deserve to be in the country. 'I would assume and think you would want to stay under the radar, to stay in a place you chose to come to. But when you put a target on your back by targeting innocent people and doing things with ill will intent, there's no excuse for that,' Nungaray said. If Joelyn's Law is to become actual law in Texas one day, it will be up to the voters of the state to make the ultimate decision. Polling has shown immigration and border security are a top priority for Texas voters. The Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin conducted a poll this past April asking Texans an open-ended question: What do you think should be the legislature's top priority? It was a tie for first, with 15% of respondents saying immigration and border security and another 15% saying the economy and prices of goods. KXAN Graphic Artist Wendy Gonzalez, Director of Investigations & Innovation Josh Hinkle, Digital Special Projects Developer Robert Sims and Digital Director Kate Winkle contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
