(Daily360.com) – Among three suspects in the New Orleans murder of Kristie Thibodeaux, one of them was illegally in the United States. Joshua Bonifacio-Avila, a 19-year old suspect in the case, was confirmed to be in the U.S. illegally on an unknown date. There has been no information provided regarding the immigration status of the other two suspects in the case.
Bonifacio was met by U.S. border control on May 11, 2019 at a Texas border crossing near Hidalgo. The local sheriff’s office just outside of New Orleans had arrested Bonifacio for five violations since February 2024. Bonifacio is the only suspect in the case that can be handled by ICE, because the other two individuals are minors.
Kristie Thibodeaux was killed in her car during the early morning hours of June 30. The suspects were detained on July 1 and Thibodeaux was identified as the victim on July 2. Kevin Nunez, a 15 year old suspect in the case, is thought to be the individual that pulled the trigger. He has a lengthy criminal record in the U.S. with seven charges of aggravated assault as well as domestic battery. Nunez was sentenced to house arrest with an ankle monitoring system. Despite that, he has been walking around with a deactivated ankle bracelet since May.
The district attorney denounced the Office of Juvenile Justice for not ensuring the ankle monitoring systems are working properly. The DA office said the Juvenile Justice Office is “disinterested” or “unable” to monitor minors placed on ankle monitoring systems. The office said that immediate changes should be made to prevent juvenile criminals from avoiding detection.
Prosecutors on the case said that the city should consider shutting down the ankle monitoring program until real accountability of juvenile suspects can be enforced by the administration and the judge. Thibodeaux passed away at the age of 43 and leaves behind her husband, parents, four siblings, and several nieces and nephews.
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