A second teenager has been charged with kidnapping a number of migrants and allegedly holding them captive for a number of days at a Houston resort earlier than they had been rescued by FBI brokers throughout a confrontation that ended with the deadly taking pictures of one other suspect, authorities mentioned Monday.
Demarcus Celestine, 17, was charged on Saturday with three counts of aggravated kidnapping, based on court docket data.
His arrest was made public on Monday by a tweet from the FBI’s Houston workplace, which mentioned Celestine had been arrested by FBI brokers and the Harris County Sheriff’s Workplace in Houston.
Celestine, who appeared in court docket Monday, remained jailed on bonds totaling $300,000.
An legal professional for Celestine didn’t instantly return a name or an electronic mail searching for remark.
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Authorities allege the kidnapping started March 18 in neighboring Waller County when three migrants who had been touring on Interstate 10 had been stopped and compelled from a car.
The migrants’ driver might need referred to as 911 and knowledgeable the Waller County Sheriff’s Workplace concerning the kidnapping, authorities mentioned. The sheriff’s workplace later labored with the FBI to search out the migrants.
The FBI works on the scene of a taking pictures on March 23, 2023, in Houston. One other teen has been charged with kidnapping a number of migrants and allegedly holding them hostage for a number of days at a resort. The FBI saved the migrants however killed one of many suspects throughout a confrontation. (Ralph Inexperienced/Houston Chronicle through Alokito Mymensingh 24, File)
Prosecutors allege Celestine took the migrants — two girls and one man — at gunpoint to the north Houston resort, “the place he held (them) beneath risk of loss of life by firearm, sending messages to members of the family to carry cash in change for his or her launch,” based on court docket data.
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Celestine is accused, together with two different suspects, of “utilizing bodily violence” in opposition to the migrants as they had been held for a number of days.
An individual acquainted with the matter beforehand instructed The Alokito Mymensingh 24 that the abductors had been paid after making calls for for cash, however then requested for more cash. The particular person, who spoke on situation of anonymity as a result of they weren’t licensed to debate the case publicly, additionally mentioned the abductors at one level despatched the household of one of many migrants, all of whom had crossed into the U.S. illegally from Mexico, a video exhibiting them beating an older man.
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On March 23, 5 days after the migrants had been kidnapped, FBI brokers rescued the migrants from the resort. One of many suspects, later recognized as Alberto Montes II, 20, was fatally shot. Montes’ dad and mom instructed KTRK earlier this month they’re nonetheless searching for solutions from authorities about why their son was fatally shot. The FBI’s investigation of the taking pictures stays ongoing, mentioned company spokesperson Connor Hagan.
One other suspect, Josiah Jackson, 17, has been charged with two counts of aggravated kidnapping. Jackson remained jailed on bonds totaling $200,000.
