An Irving teenager who was considered a missing and exploited child has now been certified to stand trial for capital murder as an adult.
Angela Rodriguez-Sambrano, 17, is one of four suspected illegal immigrants from El Salvador to be accused in the Jan. 202 murder of Franklin Mercado, 16. His body was found in a Pleasant Grove park. Mercado had been beaten, stabbed and robbed of his shoes.
Police arrested Jonathan Gonzales-Rosales, 25, Elmer Lara Fuentes, 20, Santos Munoz-Chicas, 19 and Rodriguez-Sambrano for the attack.
Police reports say Mercado may have been lured to the park as a form of gang-related retaliation.
In December of 2019, a national website listed Rodriguez-Sambrano as missing and possibly exploited. A month later, police say, she had joined a gang of illegal immigrants from El Salvador. All four are accused of capital murder, a crime which carries no chance for parole.
