Maryland police arrest illegal migrant in toddler’s murder – Law Officer

PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY, Md. – An illegal migrant from Central America was arrested this week in connection with the murder of a 2-year-old Maryland child, according to law enforcement authorities.

The Prince George’s County Police Department’s Homicide Unit arrested Nilson Noel Trejo-Granados, 25, in connection with the murder of Jeremy Poou-Caceres earlier this month at Langley Park. The toddler’s mother was also wounded during an exchange of gunfire between opposing groups, officials said.

Trejo-Granados is the fifth suspect arrested in the homicide. Prince George’s Police provided the following details in a press release:

On February 8, 2024, a detective working in the area of the 1400 block of Kanawha Street heard gunfire and attempted to locate a crime scene. The detective discovered two-year-old Jeremy Poou-Caceres suffering from a gunshot wound. The child was pronounced deceased a short time later at a hospital. The toddler’s mother was also shot. Her injuries are not considered life-threatening.

Since the murder, the PGPD has identified and arrested four other suspects – to include a 15-year-old male from Takoma Park and a 16-year-old male from Hyattsville. They are both charged as adults. The Homicide Unit has also arrested 33-year-old Israel Fuentes, Jr., of Lewisdale and 28-year-old Johnny Alejandro Turcios of Lewisdale. The preliminary investigation revealed two groups of males exchanged gunfire near where the victim and his mother were walking. The two victims were not the intended targets.

Granados-Trejo is charged with first and second degree murder. He is in the custody of the Department of Corrections on a no-bond Status.

Trejo-Granados is an illegal immigrant from El Salvador, according to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

ICE said in a statement that Trejo-Granados had been ordered to be deported from the U.S. for well over a year, but Democrat sanctuary cities allowed him to remain free, the Daily Wire reported.

“On Nov. 7, 2022, a Department of Justice immigration judge in Newark, New Jersey ordered Trejo-Granados removal from the United States,” ICE said. “The Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) arrested Trejo-Granados March 21, 2023, and charged him with theft: $100 to under $1,500. Those charges remain pending. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged an Immigration Detainer on Trejo-Granados with the Montgomery County Detention Center (MCDC) March 22, 2023; however, MCDC refused to honor the detainer and Trejo-Granados was released by MCDC, March 27, 2023.”

“MCPD again arrested Trejo-Granados Sept. 26, 2023, and charged him with theft less than $100 and attempt obstructing and hindering,” the statement continued. “ICE lodged an Immigration Detainer with the MCDC on Trejo-Granados, Sept. 27, 2023; however, MCDC refused to honor the detainer and released Trejo- Granados from custody Oct. 12, 2023.”

Following Trejo-Granados’ arrest last week in connection with the toddler’s murder, ICE said its Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) has once again filed a detainer request for the suspect, this time with Prince George’s County Detention Center in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.

The arrest comes on the heels of a brutal homicide that occurred last week on the campus of the University of Georgia. Police have arrested 26-year-old Jose Antonio Ibarra. He is accused of killing nursing student Laken Riley while she was out for a morning run.

Ibarra is a Venezuelan national who illegally crossed the southern border into El Paso, Texas in September 2022, News Nation reported, citing multiple DHS sources. He was released from DHS custody over a lack of detention space, according to the outlet.

Meanwhile, Law Officer reported Wednesday morning that an escaped convicted killer from Columbia was found living in New Jersey.

Columbian national Miguel Angel Hernandez Moreno was six years into a 22-year sentence for murder when he fled his home country in September 2017. He was discovered living in Jersey City, New Jersey when police investigated a terrorist threat and assault incident in December.

On Dec. 27, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) arrested him in Queens, New York.

ICE/ERO Philadelphia removed Hernandez Moreno from the U.S. with a final order of removal to Colombia on Feb. 13, the agency said.

“Time and again we see fugitives fleeing from justice in their home countries and illegally crossing into the U.S.,” said ERO Philadelphia Field Office Director Cammilla Wamsley. “The officers of ERO Philadelphia work tirelessly to apprehend and remove these wanted criminals who pose a threat to the American public.”