A Father Was Scheduled to Testify as a Witness in His Daughter's Murder Trial. He Was Later Found on a Plane to Be Deported

Carmelo Gonzalez, the father of 11-year-old Maria Gonzalez, was nearly deported after ICE detained him following his release on bail for a DWI—jeopardizing his chance to testify as a key witness in his daughter’s murder trial. (Credit: ABC13)

Just weeks before he was set to testify in his daughter's brutal murder case, a Texas father was nearly deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)—an ordeal attorneys say is scaring immigrants away from courthouses and making it harder to prosecute predators.

Carmelo Gonzalez, the father of 11-year-old Maria Gonzalez, was on track to provide crucial testimony against Juan Carlos Garcia Rodriguez, an 18-year-old charged with Maria's sexual assault and murder. Gonzalez discovered his daughter's body stuffed in a bag under a bed inside their Pasadena apartment in 2023. Days later, Garcia Rodriguez was arrested in Louisiana and charged with capital murder.