An illegal immigrant was among those charged in the killing of a 43-year-old woman in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Joshua Aviala-Bonifacio, a 19-year-old illegal immigrant from Honduras, was one of the three individuals charged in the June 30th murder of Kristie Thibodeaux, a tour guide in the French Quarter of New Orleans.

Joshua Aviala-Bonifacio was also arrested in connection to the murder and charged with second-degree murder and attempted armed robbery. He is now being held on a $1.1 million bond, as is Jerben Albarec, a 17-year-old who was charged with the same crimes as Aviala-Bonifacio.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed that Aviala-Bonifacio illegally entered the United States. The Venezuelan national had a number of interactions with law enforcement before his suspected involvement in the killing of Thibodeaux. Border Patrol released Aviala-Bonifacio into the country in May 2019 while he awaited his deportation hearing. Then in October 2023, he was arrested in Louisiana for theft.

Aviala-Bonifacio was arrested again in February 2024 for theft, as well as for contributing to the delinquency of juveniles and three Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office fugitive attachments.

Kevin Nunez, the man accused of killing Thibodeaux, had an active warrant out for his arrest at the time of the shooting and was wearing an ankle monitor that had been deactivated. Nunez, who is only 15 years old, had previously been found guilty in juvenile court of seven counts of aggravated assault, illegal possession of a handgun, and domestic battery abuse.

“She brought so much joy and just entertainment to tourists that were visiting the city,” said Brian Cain, a local business owner, said of Thibodeaux, who worked as a tour guide in the French Quarter. “She was the life of the party and the mother hen, all in one. She took care of all the people on her tour. She wanted people to see New Orleans in the best light.”

The killing of Thibodeaux is part of a wider wave of violent crimes committed by illegal immigrants.

Earlier this year in Texas, 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray was allegedly murdered by two illegal immigrants who entered the United States under the Biden administration. Johan Jose Rangel Martinez, 21, and Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, 26, both of whom are from Venezuela, were charged with her murder.

There was also the murder of Laken Riley on February 22nd, 2024. Riley was a Georgia nursing student who was allegedly killed by Jose Ibarra, a 26-year-old illegal immigrant from Venezuela.

Over 10 million people have crossed the border under President Joe Biden, with an estimated 1.7 million illegal immigrant gotaways recorded since he was inaugurated in 2021. There were 415,000 total reported gotaways for 2018, 2019, and 2020 under the Trump administration.