Daijiworld Media Network - Dallas

Dallas, Apr 5: A 24-year-old man accused of killing his wife within weeks of their marriage has been taken into custody in Dallas, with US immigration authorities urging that he not be released.

Francisco Mendez-Marin, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, was arrested on March 18 by the Carrollton Police Department and charged with felony homicide. He is accused of fatally slitting the throat of his 20-year-old wife, Karla Rangel, during a domestic dispute.

Officials said the couple had been married for less than a month at the time of the incident. When police arrived at the scene, Mendez-Marin was found with blood on his clothes and carrying a blood-stained pocketknife.

Body camera footage cited in the arrest affidavit reportedly shows him telling officers in Spanish, “I didn’t do anything bad” and “I was obligated to do it.”

Following the arrest, the Department of Homeland Security said it had filed a detainer through Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), requesting local authorities not to release the suspect. He is currently lodged at the Dallas County Jail under the custody of the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office.

DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis condemned the killing, stating that the accused should not be allowed to re-enter communities. She added that coordination between local authorities and ICE would ensure he remains in custody.