Illegal migrant with DUI rap sheet facing vehicular homicide charges after head-on crash kills mom, daughter
ICE lodges detainer against Raul Luna-Perez to initiate removal proceedings in wake of deadly wrong-way crash
Biden admin ignored misdemeanor migrant crimes, led to ‘more and more crime’: ICE director
Acting I.C.E. director Todd Lyons discusses how I.C.E. is pursuing cases of migrant crime, on ‘The Will Cain Show.’
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An illegal migrant with a DUI rap sheet only to be released back into the community of a blue state is accused of causing a crash in Lakewood, New Jersey, killing a mother and her 11-year-old daughter.
The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office said 43-year-old Raul Luna-Perez of Mexico was arrested and charged with two counts of vehicular homicide and assault by auto in connection with a July 26 motor vehicle crash, and now has a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged against him.
In a news release, ICE said that this was not Luna-Perez’s first run-in with the law.
He was arrested twice on charges of DUI in March and April of this year, and in June 2023 he was arrested for simple domestic violence.
Raul Luna-Perez is accused of causing a crash that killed a woman and her 11-year-old daughter, and now ICE has lodged a detainer against him. (Department of Homeland Security)
In Luna-Perez’s latest alleged incident, which turned deadly, officers with the Lakewood Township Police Department responded to reports of a crash just before 11:30 p.m. on July 26.
A preliminary investigation found that Luna-Perez was allegedly driving a Dodge Durango with two passengers inside, when he crossed into oncoming traffic and crashed head-on with a Nissan Sentra.
The Nissan was being driven by a woman who was pronounced dead at the scene, the prosecutor’s office said. Seated in the front passenger seat was an 11-year-old girl – identified by ICE as the woman’s daughter – who was taken to Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus in Lakewood, where she ultimately died of her injuries.
Another 11-year-old girl was seated in the back of the Sentra, and she was taken to Monmouth Medical Center and was listed in serious but stable condition, the prosecutor’s office added.
ANTI-ICE ACTIVISTS HELP MIGRANT CHILD RAPIST ESCAPE ARREST IN COLORADO: OFFICIALS
Raul Luna-Perez is accused of causing a crash that killed a woman and her 11-year-old daughter, and now ICE has lodged a detainer against him. (Department of Homeland Security)
The two passengers in Luna-Perez’s vehicle were treated for minor injuries at a local hospital and released.
The prosecutor’s office added that the first responders reported that Luna-Perez showed signs of impairment. He was transported to an area hospital, where his blood was drawn pursuant to a court-authorized warrant.
ICE lodged a detainer against Luna-Perez on Monday, and has initiated removal proceedings while Luna-Perez remains in custody.
ICE PLACES DETAINER ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT FACING CHARGES FOR ALLEGEDLY KILLING TEEN: ‘EVIL CRIMES’
ICE lodged a detainer against Raul Luna-Perez after he allegedly caused a motor vehicle crash, killing a mother and her 11-year-old daughter. (Getty Images)
Luna-Perez entered the U.S. illegally on an unknown date, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
ICE blamed New Jersey Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy’s sanctuary policies for allowing Luna-Perez to be released into American communities.
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“Governor Murphy and his sanctuary policies released this serial criminal into New Jersey communities,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said. “Now, this innocent family is shattered by their failed leadership.
“President Trump and Secretary Noem will continue to do everything in their power to remove these criminal illegal aliens before they destroy more lives.”
Despite ICE’s comments about the New Jersey governor, Murphy’s office says his stance is quite different.
“The Governor believes that Mr. Luna-Perez, who has been arrested multiple times for DUI and domestic violence, should not have been allowed behind the wheel and should have already been deported due to his previous dangerous criminal activity,” Mahen Gunaratna, spokesman for Murphy, said.
Jury convicts gang member who was 14 when he fired 15 to 20 shots from AR-15, killing mother of young child after fender bender
Jason KandelNov 2nd, 2024, 11:52 am
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Top inset: Pamela Cabriales (GoFundMe). Bottom inset: Remi Cordova (KCNC). Background: The location where Cabriales was killed (KCNC).
A Colorado gang member who was 14 when he shot and killed the mother of a young child with a high-powered assault rifle after a minor fender bender at a Denver intersection was convicted this week.
Remi Cordova, now 18, was convicted on Friday of first-degree murder in the killing of 32-year-old Pamela Cabriales, Denver District Attorney Beth McCann announced in a press release. Cordova was charged and tried as an adult after being transferred from Juvenile Court to District Court due to the severity of the crime, prosecutors said.
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“It’s senseless, it’s evil. There’s no remorse that we’ve seen,” said Alex Cabriales, the victim’s brother, outside court, local CBS affiliate KCNC reported.
McCann called it a senseless and cold-blooded murder.
“I am very grateful to the jury for returning this just verdict, which I hope will provide some comfort and a sense of justice to everyone who knew and loved Pamela Cabriales,” said McCann in the press release.
The bloodshed happened on Feb. 20, 2021, at a red light on Colfax Avenue and Interstate 25.
Cordova, a passenger in a car driven by another teen, Neshan Johnson, thought Cabriales had tapped their car from behind at a red light, the Denver Gazette reported, citing court documents.
“Can I bust on them?” the driver said Cordova asked him, according to court documents, the newspaper reported.
“Do what you gotta do, that’s on you,” Johnson replied, according to the court documents.
Johnson told police Cordova then got out of the car with an “AR15 and fired 15-20 shots into the car behind them,” according to court documents, local NBC affiliate KUSA reported.
Cabriales was hospitalized and died a few days later. The driver of a car directly behind Cabriales’ vehicle was uninjured in the shooting.
Alex Cabriales described in detail to local Fox affiliate KDVR his sister’s wounds, saying, “the whole top of her head was blown off. Her brain was exposed.”
“The community needs to know what these people did,” he said. “My sister was beautiful.”
As Law&Crime previously reported, a Denver cop saw the assailants’ vehicle the following day and recognized it from an incident at a McDonald’s, which involved shots being fired into the occupied restaurant. The officer pursued the car, which crashed, and the teens were eventually arrested after a search.
Cordova was a gang member with a juvenile criminal record.
He bragged to police about his “toy” — the AR-15 — and rising through the gang ranks, prosecutor Jacob Friedberg told jurors during closing arguments Tuesday, the Denver Post reported.
“The motivation here comes from a desire to rise up through the ranks of the gang world,” he told jurors. “It’s unfortunate that is how that world works.”
Johnson was sentenced to 35 years in prison in June 2023.
Cordova faces up to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years when he is set to be sentenced on Dec. 12.
A GoFundMe page to help raise money so the victim’s son can go to college said, “a beautiful soul was the victim of a heinous crime.”
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“Pamela Cabriales is an amazing human being and will always go out of her way to help those in need,” the page said. She will do anything to make sure her son is taken care of. She is an amazing mother, daughter, sister, auntie and friend.”
Alberto Luperon contributed to this report.
Teen sentenced to life in prison for murder of woman after minor traffic collision
Remi Cordova was convicted of first-degree murder for the death of Pamela Cabriales, 32, as she was stopped at a light at Colfax Avenue and Interstate 25 in 2021.
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Author: Marissa Solomon, Janet Oravetz (9News)
Published: 5:32 PM MST December 12, 2024
Updated: 9:37 PM MST December 12, 2024
DENVER — In a courtroom steeped in emotion, a teen was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole for the shooting death of a woman after a minor traffic collision in 2021.
Remi Cordova, who was 14 at the time of the shooting, was convicted in November on three counts related to the shooting: first-degree murder- extreme indifference, second-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder.
On Thursday, a judge vacated the second-degree murder conviction. Cordova was also sentenced to eight years in prison for the attempted first-degree murder conviction, to be served consecutively to his life sentence. Cordova will be eligible for parole after serving 40 years. He will also get credit for time served up until sentencing.
Pamela Cabriales, 32, was shot while stopped at a light at Colfax Avenue and Interstate 25 in February 2021. She died several days later and left behind a five-year-old son.
“I’m terribly sorry for the pain that you guys feel, but I cannot take responsibility for something that I did not do,” Cordova told the court Thursday. “And I truly hope that someday, throughout me, appealing cases, or whatever this is, because it’s a lot for me to understand, with all this, that y’all are truly able to get through your grief and understand that I’m not the monster or the murderer that I have been painted to be by Denver’s district attorney office.”
Cabriales’s family and friends told the judge Thursday about how her loss has impacted them and continues to affect them years later.
“She was the heartbeat of our family,” Alex Cabriales, Pamela’s brother, told the court. “She was the example of what love and kindness should be in this world. Remi took that from us that night.”
Many spoke about Cabriales’ son, who is now eight.
“What do you do when your child asks you, ‘who’s going to take care of me if you die, Daddy?’ ‘I’m sad because I don’t want to lose you,’ ‘I remember going to this place with my mommy before she died,’ or ‘what was mommy’s favorite color?'” Cabriales’ ex-husband, Lorenzo Rodriguez, said.
Maria Gubser, Pamela’s oldest sister, said her heart breaks for each member of her family, “But mostly my heart breaks for my nephew, who will never hear his mom say he loves him,” Gubser said. “He will never have his mom at his high school graduation or dance with his mom at his wedding. He cries out that he misses his mommy. She won’t be there to help him learn how to drive or when he falls in love and gets married. His children will go their whole lives without ever being held by their grandmother.”
Cabriales’ friends and family all asked for the judge to hold Cordova accountable.
“Not only did Remi have the gun in his possession, he chose to get out of the vehicle,” Gubser said. “He chose to take the safety off a loaded gun. He chose to pull the trigger, seven times, and shoot into my sister’s windshield.”
“Remi’s senseless act of pure evil has left our family with the loss that words cannot describe,” Alex Cabriales said.
Cordova’s family told a different story: one of a teen who deserves a second chance. Despite his numerous prior run-ins with the law, Cordova’s family said he deserves the opportunity for parole. Cousins referenced a childhood full of various forms of abuse, neglect and violence.
“Remi begged for help as a child,” Cousin Michaela Perez told the court. “He didn’t want to get in trouble. He wanted to stay out of trouble. He wanted to go to school.”
Cordova’s family expressed doubts about the investigative diligence done by Denver District Attorney Beth McCann and her manner, which they described as “cavalier, cruel, and at times legally irresponsible.” Cordova’s defense attorneys claimed he was battling psychological trauma.
“Where can we place blame in tragedy, and how do we trace the origin?” Perez asked. “Do we trace it back to the gun policies of this nation and the vulnerability of black and brown communities in this nation? Do we place the blame on social services that are a reflection of racial priorities, prioritization in this nation? Do we place the blames on the families suffering intergenerational trauma? Do we place the blame on the mother? Do we place the blame on the child? Do we place the blame on this child? The state of Colorado has placed the blame on this child.”
Cordova’s trial began on Oct. 21. His codefendant, Neshan Johnson, has already been convicted and was sentenced to 35 years in prison in July 2023.
According to court documents, the two teens thought Cabriales had tapped their car from behind at a red light. Police alleged that Cordova jumped out of a car with a gun and fired multiple rounds into a vehicle driven by Cabriales.
Johnson was driving the car and drove away from the scene after the shots were fired, according to police.
Johnson told police Cordova had gotten out of the car with an “AR15 and fired 15-20 shots into the car behind them,” according to court documents.
Cordova was initially charged as a juvenile, but the case was later moved to adult court, despite his age at the time of the shooting.
