A Honduran national charged with raping and murdering a jogger in New Jersey had been deported twice before, the government reported.
Officials say that Jorge Rios, 33, was deported once in 2003 and then again in 2004, according to the New York Post.
Police arrested Rios after surveillance video allegedly showed him stalking his victim, 45-year-old Caroline Cano, then beating her, raping her, and brutally drowning her in a park lake when she was out for a morning run in Jersey City’s Lincoln Park on March 24.
Investigators said that immediately after the crime, Rios walked to a friend’s house and reportedly asked how many years he could get for murdering someone.
A criminal complaint against Rios said that Cano, a Peruvian, died “as a result of homicidal violence including strangulation and water submersion.” Police also said Rios confessed during questioning.
The complaint detailed the suspect’s actions on the surveillance video. “The male observes the victim and proceeds to walk behind her. Upon approaching the football parking lot, the victim is seen running with the male running directly behind her,” court documents state.
“The male is seen continuing south, stopping, turning to look behind him towards the victim, and then running in the same direction as the victim,” the papers add.
ICE put a detainer on Rios for deportation once again, but not until he serves his sentence for murder if convicted.
When Rios was arrested, federal immigration authorities slammed the New Jersey city for its “limited cooperation” with federal authorities on immigration issues.
“ICE maintains that cooperation by local law enforcement is an indispensable component of promoting public safety,” the Newark ICE office said in a statement on April 5. “ICE will seek taking custody of Rios-Doblado at the conclusion of his criminal proceedings, despite limited cooperation in the state.”
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.