HOUSTON (KIAH) — Franklin Peña did not say a word during his arraignment Thursday as the mother of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, the north Houston girl he’s accused of killing, watched in the courtroom.
Harris County’s 232nd District Court Judge Josh Hill did not read the capital murder charge to Peña and the defendant did not enter his plea to the charge as often happens during this type of court hearing.
Peña’s attorney, Natalie Schultz, did question why some DNA test results aren’t ready yet, but she eventually agreed with prosecutors that waiting for them for two more months was acceptable.
Proposed law pushes for tougher migrant detention following Jocelyn Nungaray’s killing
Peña and Johan Martinez-Rangel are accused of raping Nungaray in addition to strangling her and leaving her body in a shallow creek after she’d apparently sneaked out of her family’s home in June of 2024…