LANGLEY PARK, Maryland – A tragic incident unfolded in Langley Park, Maryland, where a 2-year-old boy, Jeremy Poou-Caceres, lost his life in a shootout on February 8. The toddler was caught in the crossfire between two groups engaged in a territorial dispute over drug dealing, according to authorities. Nilson Granados-Trejo, a 25-year-old illegal immigrant from El Salvador, has been charged with first- and second-degree murder in connection with the toddler’s death.
Granados-Trejo, who had faced deportation orders and had previous run-ins with the law, was one of five suspects arrested in the shooting case. Despite being ordered to be removed from the United States by an immigration judge in New Jersey, he was released multiple times from custody despite immigration detainers.
The suspect’s public defender argued that Granados-Trejo should be granted pretrial release, claiming he was merely a passenger in the shooter’s vehicle and was in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, Assistant State’s Attorney Giovanna Miller emphasized that he was a co-conspirator in a murder and had a history of using aliases and failing to appear in court.
Judge Donnaka Varner Lewis considered Granados-Trejo a flight risk and ordered him to be held without bail. Three other suspects, Israel Fuentes, Johnny Alejandro Turciosa, and two teenage boys, have also been arrested in the case. Fuentes and Turciosa were reportedly in one of the groups involved in the shootout, while the teenagers were in another.
According to police documents, Granados-Trejo admitted to being in a stolen vehicle with Fuentes and Turciosa during the shooting and witnessing Fuentes firing a weapon. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed that the suspect is in the United States illegally.
Despite facing previous charges of theft and obstruction, Granados-Trejo was repeatedly released from custody after immigration detainers were not honored by the authorities. The case has raised concerns about the handling of immigration detainers and the release of individuals with criminal backgrounds.