Republicans Seek to Enact 'Jocelyn's Law' in the Wake of 12-Year-Old Girl's Murder
It amounts to a Band-Aid on a wound that requires a tourniquet. But at least someone in power wants to do something.
Thursday on the social media platform X, Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick of Texas predicted that the state legislature will pass “Jocelyn’s Law,” a bill named for 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray of Houston, who was brutally murdered on June 16 — allegedly by two illegal immigrants from Venezuela.
“‘Jocelyn’s Law’ will allow Texans to vote to amend the Constitution to automatically deny bail for all capital murderers,” Patrick wrote after leaving Nungaray’s funeral.
According to KRIV in Houston, each suspect is being held on a $10 million bond.
“Jocelyn’s family was shocked any bail was given in this case,” Patrick wrote.
The lieutenant governor then accused Texas House Democrats and RINO House Speaker Dade Phelan of obstructing past bail-reform bills.
“I told Jocelyn’s mom that the Texas Senate will pass bail reform once again and will not accept the House killing this legislation. It will be named after her daughter as ‘Jocelyn’s Law,’ so her daughter’s name will never be forgotten and will ensure capital murderers are not eligible for bail ever again,” Patrick wrote.
Then, the lieutenant governor predicted another measure designed to punish those who murder children.
“The Texas Senate will enhance ‘Lauren’s Law,’ making the murder of any child under 15 a death-penalty-eligible offense (currently, only the murder of a child under 10 is a death-penalty-eligible offense),” Patrick wrote.
I just left the funeral of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray. Her alleged killers, both here illegally, with one actually wearing an ankle monitor given to him by the federal government, are charged with brutally murdering her last week.
Jocelyn’s family was shocked any bail was…
— Office of the Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick (@LtGovTX) June 27, 2024
According to the Times Record News of Wichita Falls, Texas, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed “Lauren’s Law” in June 2019. The bill, named for 13-year-old Lauren Landavazo of Wichita Falls, gave prosecutors the option to seek life in prison without parole for cases involving the murder of a child 10 or older but younger than 15. The previous law had left Landavazo’s convicted killer eligible for parole after 30 years.
Now, Patrick’s promised enhancement of “Lauren’s Law” will make convicted murderers of children under 15 subject to the death penalty.
For Nungaray’s alleged murderers, it turns out that prosecutors will have the option to seek the death penalty anyway.
In March, Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel, 22, of Venezuela, crossed illegally into El Paso, Texas. Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, 26, also of Venezuela, did likewise in May. In each case, U.S. Border Patrol agents caught the suspects but then released them into the country.
Surveillance video from June 16 showed the pair walking to a 7-Eleven convenience store with Nungaray. The girl had snuck out of her family’s apartment.
Then, the two illegal immigrants allegedly lured Nungaray to a bridge and murdered her. The next morning, a woman found the child’s body in a creek and called 911.
Jocelyn Nungaray, 12, fought back with her dying breath — leaving bite and scratch marks on illegal migrant: prosecutors https://t.co/cqeM7Fb3Gb pic.twitter.com/19XOoPwsPo
— New York Post (@nypost) June 25, 2024
At his first court hearing, Martinez-Rangel endured a hostile reception from grieving members of Nungaray’s family.
Meanwhile, more details began to emerge.
According to court documents, the suspects held Nungaray for two hours under the bridge. They reportedly tied her up, removed her pants and strangled her.
On Monday, the Houston Forensic Science Center confirmed that Nungaray had also suffered sexual assault.
That revelation made the case death-penalty eligible, according to Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg.
Patrick, of course, deserves credit for pushing “Jocelyn’s Law” and the expected update to “Lauren’s Law.”
Nonetheless, this case involves too many appalling details to justify celebrating anything.
As Patrick noted in his tweet, the federal government had actually placed an ankle monitor on one of the suspects.
In other words, if the suspects committed this crime, then the federal government made Nungaray’s fate possible. Thus, President Joe Biden’s open border has claimed the life of another American child.
As outrageous as it sounds, federal officials know all about the criminals they have imported. But Biden and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas could not care less. In fact, they have opened the border by design.
In sum, let Texas adopt “Jocelyn’s Law.”
Then, when former President Donald Trump returns to the White House, let us commence “Jocelyn’s Mass Deportation.”
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