A 12-year-old Texas girl murdered by illegal Venezuelan migrants last week, fought with her attackers till her last breath, leaving scratch and bite marks on one of the accused, prosecutors told a court during a hearing in the case on Tuesday.
The brutal killing of the Texas teen, whose body was discovered in a ditch last week, sparked a political debate on the migrant issue in the United States.
According to a New York Post report, Assistant District Attorney Megan Long told the court that one of the accused, Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel still had the bite marks on him when he was arrested. The victim’s mother was also present during the hearing.
The incident took place after the girl sneaked out of her home to call her boyfriend on the night of June 17. She was lured under a bridge by the two accused, who were drunk, and over the course of two hours “took her pants off, tied her up, and killed her”, a The New York Times report said.
The other accused, Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, on the other hand, while admitting that he kissed the girl, claimed he tried to stop Martinez-Rangel, but he allegedly refused and strangled her.
Martinez-Rangel allegedly told his accomplice that he had to “finish what he started” as he covered the young girl’s mouth during the attack, the lead prosecutor noted.
The Harris County District Court judge set a $10 million bail for Martinez-Rangel labeling him a flight risk.
Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said there was “clear evidence” of sexual assault. “We are waiting on lab tests now to see if the capital murder charge can be upgraded to one where they are death penalty eligible,” Ogg noted.
Prosecutors could seek the death penalty for the accused if sexual assault is confirmed by the forensics department.
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