Man accused of killing Georgia mother was in the US illegally, officials say

(CNN) — A 21-year-old man from Honduras accused of killing a mother of five in an Atlanta suburb was in the United States illegally, according to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Hector Sagastume Rivas crossed the US border illegally just over four years ago, an ICE spokesperson told CNN. US Customs and Border Protection arrested him initially, and an order for him to be removed from the country was issued in absentia more than two years later when he didn’t appear for a hearing in July 2023, ICE said.

“President Trump and Secretary Noem will not allow criminal illegal aliens, including accused murderers, to be loose on America’s streets,” the Department of Homeland Security wrote Sunday in a post on X, with a screenshot of a news story about the case.

This month’s killing of 52-year-old Camillia Williams comes as President Donald Trump has made an immigration crackdown a centerpiece of his administration’s agenda, detaining and in some cases deporting undocumented immigrants, including hundreds of alleged Venezuelan gang members.

The administration says its invocation of a rarely used wartime authority to speed up deportations serves to protect Americans from the “extraordinary threat” posed by suspected gang members who the president has designated as foreign terrorists.

Sagastume Rivas faces felony murder and aggravated assault charges in the death of Williams in Marietta, according to a Cobb County Police news release. Police accuse Sagastume Rivas of killing Williams late on March 11 or early on March 12 by placing her in a chokehold, then kneeling on her neck with his “full body weight,” according to a warrant obtained by CNN affiliate WSB-TV.

CNN has reached out to ICE, the Department of Homeland Security and the Cobb County Police Department for further details about the case. CNN is also working to identify an attorney for Sagastume Rivas.

It is unclear Williams and Sagastume Rivas knew each other or had ever met.

Williams’ body was found in a wooded area, hidden under a bush, on March 13, WSB-TV reported. Sagastume Rivas was arrested five days later. He is being held without bond.

Williams, a mother of five and a grandmother, was originally from Louisiana, according to CNN affiliate WANF. Her death has left her family searching for answers.

Her brother Arsene Williams told WSB that Camillia had expressed fear about a man she believed was following her in the days leading up to her death. “She called the dude a weirdo and from my understanding, he pretty much waited until he caught her by herself and did what he done,” Arsene Williams said.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp issued a statement lamenting how Williams was “brutally taken from this world” and promised the state would seek justice for her killing.

“Those who commit acts of violence against our people will face the full weight of our justice system, and if they are here illegally, we will not hesitate to work with our federal partners to ensure their removal from our state and country,” Kemp said.

ICE issued a similar statement, saying, “Criminal aliens who pose a threat to public safety should not be free to endanger communities. ICE remains committed to working with law enforcement partners to apprehend and remove those who break our laws.”

Williams’ death echoes that of nursing student Laken Riley on the campus of the University of Georgia. An undocumented migrant from Venezuela was convicted of murder and sentenced to life without parole in the case that reignited a national debate over immigration and crime – a campaign issue for then-Republican presidential candidate Trump – and ultimately led to the passage of GOP-led legislation to require detention of undocumented migrants charged with certain crimes.

ICE has lodged an immigration detainer with the Cobb County Jail to ensure Sagastume Rivas remains in custody for removal proceedings, the agency said.

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