Judge sets $10 million bond for Venezuelan man accused of killing a 12-year-old Houston girl

HOUSTON (AP) — A judge in Texas set bond of $10 million Monday for an undocumented Venezuelan man accused of killing a 12-year-old Houston girl whose body was found in a creek after she disappeared during a walk to a convenience store.

Franklin Jose Peña Ramos, 26, is one of two men charged with capital murder in Jocelyn Nungaray's death. The other is Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel, 22.

Peña’s bond was set during a court hearing in which prosecutors told state District Judge Josh Hill that he and Martinez-Rangel tried to flee the Houston area after the killing.

The two men are Venezuelan nationals who entered the United States illegally in March, according to a statement Friday from the U.S. Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. U.S. Border Patrol near El Paso, Texas, arrested Martinez-Rangel on March 14 and Peña on March 28. Both were released with orders to appear in court at a later date.

Immigration is a top concern for voters, with many saying President Joe Biden hasn’t been doing enough to secure the country’s borders. Earlier this month, Biden unveiled plans to enact immediate significant restrictions on migrants seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Both Peña and Martinez-Rangel are now under immigration holds by federal authorities, meaning they would remain in custody even if they could post bond. Martinez-Rangel is set to appear in court to review his bond status on Tuesday.

Nungaray's body was found June 17 in a shallow creek after police said she sneaked out of her nearby home the night before. She was strangled to death, according to the medical examiner.

The suspects allegedly lured Nungaray under a bridge and remained with her there for more than two hours, according to court documents.

Prosecutors allege the men took off her pants, tied her up and killed her before throwing her body in the bayou. It doesn’t appear that the two men knew the 12-year-old, said Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg.

“Make no mistake, this is a horrific crime,” Ogg said during a news conference following Peña’s court hearing.

Lisa Andrews, a court-appointed attorney for Peña, did not immediately reply to a call and email seeking comment.

The victim's mother, Alexis Nungaray, remembered her daughter on Monday as someone who was quirky and “definitely made people laugh.”

“I’m always going to remember those memories because she had such a bright future ahead of her and I knew she was going to go very far,” she said. “These monsters took that opportunity from her, from her family.”

Police arrested Martinez-Rangel and Peña, who investigators said were roommates, on Thursday. Authorities said surveillance video showed two men approaching Jocelyn Nungaray before walking to a Houston convenience store with her. The three then walked together to a bridge, where the girl was killed, police said.

Kelvin Alvarenga, Jocelyn Nungaray’s grandfather, said Monday that his granddaughter’s death could have been prevented if the country’s immigration system had been “redone.”

"I don’t believe that everyone who crosses the border is bad. But within them, there are some who are,” he said. “Why not take some more time and investigate these people who come here?”

Ogg said the capital murder charges Peña and Martinez-Rangel face are not death penalty eligible. But if additional DNA testing or other evidence shows the victim was sexually assaulted or kidnapped, the death penalty would be possible, she said.

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Family of Jocelyn Nungaray comfort each other as Franklin Peña, one of the two men accused of killing the 12-year-old girl, appears in court, Monday, June 24, 2024, in Houston. Peña was ordered held on $10 million bail as he and another man, Johan Jose Rangel-Martinez, are charged with capital murder over the girl's death. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Alexis Nungaray, the mother of Jocelyn Nungaray, speaks about her daughter during a news conference after Franklin Peña, one of the two men accused of killing the 12-year-old girl, appeared in court, Monday, June 24, 2024, in Houston. Peña was ordered held on $10 million bail as he and another man, Johan Jose Rangel-Martinez, are charged with capital murder over the girl's death. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Alexis Nungaray, the mother of Jocelyn Nungaray, holds a rosary after speaking about her daughter during a news conference after Franklin Peña, one of the two men accused of killing the 12-year-old girl, appeared in court, Monday, June 24, 2024, in Houston. Peña was ordered held on $10 million bail as he and another man, Johan Jose Rangel-Martinez, are charged with capital murder over the girl's death. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Franklin Peña, one of the two men accused of killing 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, appears in court before Judge Josh Hill, Monday, June 24, 2024, in Houston. Peña was ordered held on $10 million bail as he and another man, Johan Jose Rangel-Martinez, are charged with capital murder over the girl's death. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Franklin Peña, one of the two men accused of killing 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, leaves the courtroom after bail was set for $10 million, Monday, June 24, 2024, in Houston. Peña and another man, Johan Jose Rangel-Martinez, are charged with capital murder over the girl's death. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

District Attorney Kim Ogg speaks to the media during a news conference after Franklin Peña, one of the two men accused of killing 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, appeared in court, Monday, June 24, 2024, in Houston. Peña was ordered held on $10 million bail as he and another man, Johan Jose Rangel-Martinez, are charged with capital murder over the girl's death. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Franklin Peña, one of the two men accused of killing 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, is led into the courtroom, Monday, June 24, 2024, in Houston. Peña was ordered held on $10 million bail as he and another man, Johan Jose Rangel-Martinez, are charged with capital murder over the girl's death. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Franklin Peña, one of the two men accused of killing 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, is led out of the courtroom after bail was set for $10 million, Monday, June 24, 2024, in Houston. Peña and another man, Johan Jose Rangel-Martinez, are charged with capital murder over the girl's death. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Alexis Nungaray, the mother of Jocelyn Nungaray, leaves the courtroom after Franklin Peña, one of the two men accused of killing the 12-year-old girl, appeared in court, Monday, June 24, 2024, in Houston. Peña was ordered held on $10 million bail as he and another man, Johan Jose Rangel-Martinez, are charged with capital murder over the girl's death. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Alexis Nungaray, the mother of Jocelyn Nungaray, center, is embraced by Tiffany Carmona, left, and Jackie Major after speaking about her daughter during a news conference after Franklin Peña, one of the two men accused of killing the 12-year-old girl, appeared in court, Monday, June 24, 2024, in Houston. Peña was ordered held on $10 million bail as he and another man, Johan Jose Rangel-Martinez, are charged with capital murder over the girl's death. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Antony Blinken pointed to the promise and pitfalls of artificial intelligence in a likely final trip to the United Nations as secretary of state, capping his engagements with the world body after a tumultuous four years that saw war return to Europe and multiple crises in the Middle East.

With the U.N. Security Council more divided than ever, Blinken is leading two meetings of the U.N.’s most powerful body on Thursday. But neither will focus on Russia’s war with Ukraine or the Middle East, where the U.S. has been frequently at odds with permanent members China and Russia and almost always in the minority when it comes to Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.

Instead, in an apparent bid to produce a modicum of consensus, Blinken is leading Security Council sessions on AI and the conflict in Sudan, which aid agencies say has sparked a dire humanitarian crisis that has not received enough attention.

On AI, Blinken said it has the potential to do “tremendous good” but can also pose “tremendous threats to the international peace and security that this council is charged with upholding.”

Here’s a look at America's top diplomat at the U.N.:

Blinken has been appearing in person and virtually before the Security Council since March 2021, just after assuming his position as the Biden administration’s top diplomat.

In addition to several one-off council meetings, including one in February 2022 shortly before Russia invaded Ukraine, Blinken has gone to New York for a week every September for the annual General Assembly gathering of world leaders.

The presidency of the Security Council rotates alphabetically every month among its 15 members. This month, it's the U.S. turn.

The country holding the presidency almost always organizes several signature events on topics its government chooses. Presidents, prime ministers and foreign ministers often preside at these meetings, which ministers from other council nations are invited to attend.

Russia and China have blocked all council action condemning the invasion of Ukraine.

This has led U.S. officials to believe that a session on the topic, especially as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office with a stated goal of ending the war immediately, would likely be a waste of time.

On the Middle East, the U.S. has frequently vetoed council action condemning Israel for its tactics against Hamas in Gaza, leaving it virtually alone at the United Nations in supporting Israel.

The U.S. leads the world in developing AI technology, according to a recently released Stanford University index, and it has been in the forefront of U.N. action on AI.

In March, the first U.N. resolution on artificial intelligence was adopted by the 193-member General Assembly. Sponsored by the U.S., it gives global support to an international effort to ensure the powerful technology benefits all nations, respects human rights and is “safe, secure and trustworthy.”

Blinken noted some threats posed by AI, saying “repressive regimes are using AI-enabled surveillance to target journalists and political dissidents" and that "if algorithms are built into weapon systems, and if they malfunction, they could spark a conflict.”

“By setting rules of the road for AI we can minimize these risks, we can harness the exceptional promise of this technology,” he said.

The U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Linda Thomas-Greenfield, recalled in early December that the previous U.S. presidency of the Security Council in August 2023 took place just months after war broke out in Sudan between rival generals heading the military and paramilitary forces.

The fighting has left tens of thousands dead, forced millions from their homes and pushed a large swath of Sudan’s population to starvation — creating an often forgotten global crisis the U.S. is seeking to spotlight.

Sudan “is facing one of the most dire humanitarian crises on the face of the planet,” State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters Wednesday.

“And so anything we can do to continue to work with partners at the U.N. and otherwise to shed light on that, figure out what ways we can continue to unearth and solidify humanitarian corridors and continue to push for a political solution, that’s absolutely a priority for us and we will continue to use ways to elevate that,” he said.

Blinken has represented the U.S. at the Security Council about half a dozen times at meetings ranging from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to the war in Gaza.

Russia, like the U.S. and China, is a permanent veto-holding member of the 15-nation council, and both have seats at its horseshoe-shaped table.

But apart from pointed disagreements during debates, there have been no confrontations or one-on-one meetings between Blinken and Russian diplomats at previous U.N. meetings — and there was none on Thursday.

Blinken thanked Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia after his remarks — as is custom — even though Nebenzia accused the U.S. of imposing rules on others but not abiding by them. But the Russian envoy agreed that “we cannot allow AI to dominate human beings and human values.”

It is not unusual for Blinken or other senior U.S. officials to attend international meetings and conferences where Russian officials are present, but interactions are rare.

Lee reported from Washington.

Russia UN Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya addresses the United Nations Security Council, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is greeted by China's UN Ambassador Fu Cong, right, in the United Nations Security Council, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken gavels the meeting open as President of the United Nations Security Council, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken addresses the United Nations Security Council, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, right, listens as UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, left, delivers his remarks in the United Nations Security Council, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield is seated, upper left. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, center, talks with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, left, and US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, right, in the United Nations Security Council, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, United States Ambassador to the United Nations, speaks during a Security Council meeting at United Nations headquarters, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov gestures as he speaks at the Doha Forum in Doha, Qatar, on Saturday Dec. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Sayed)

FILE - Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks after meeting with the foreign ministers of the Arab Contact Group on Syria in Jordan's southern Red Sea coastal city of Aqaba, Dec. 14, 2024. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Pool via AP, File)