ICE nabs Mexican national who avoided prison time despite stabbing man to death and lighting body on fire

Immigration and Customs Enforcement said it is deporting a man who committed a heinous crime but was given a slap on the wrist after pleading to a lower charge.

ICE said in a press release that it prioritized the deportation of 48-year-old Manuel Tellez after the man was arrested for murder on April 2, 2022.

He was given a sentence of community supervision for eight years with zero prison time.

Tellez was convicted of killing a man by stabbing him seven times in Dallas County in Texas, after which he left and returned with gasoline in order to light the man's body on fire.

The Dallas News identified the victim as 52-year-old Anthony Moreno, a popular artist who was killed after interviewing Tellez for social media. A detective said at a court hearing that Moreno and Tellez had been in a love triangle with a woman, which was the motivation for the violence.

The illegal alien, who was originally from Mexico, pleaded guilty to manslaughter after being charged with murder, but he was given a sentence of community supervision for eight years with zero prison time.

“We are grateful for our federal partners within the Justice Department and U.S. Customs and Border Protection for helping us remove this high priority target from our communities," said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas acting Field Office Director Josh Johnson.

“This is an egregious offender,” he added.

ICE said Tellez is in its custody pending deportation.

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