Guatemalan Immigrants Charged in Murder of Florida Marine Father

Two undocumented Guatemalan brothers, Armando Lopez Cobo, 23, and Yovany Lopez Cobo, 20, were charged in connection with the March killing of Joseph Manfredi, a 27‑year‑old former U.S. Marine and father of two, in St. Johns County, Florida. Police say an argument erupted at a construction site after Yovany allegedly insulted Manfredi’s wife; Yovany then shot Manfredi, wounding two other workers, before the brothers fled.

The brothers entered the United States as unaccompanied minors in 2016 and were released into the interior under the Obama administration. Both received deportation orders—Armando in 2018 and Yovany slated for 2025—but were never detained. ICE has now placed detainers to keep them in custody, and a GoFundMe campaign was launched to support Manfredi’s wife, Hailee, and their children, Blaine and Amelia. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said, “These criminal illegal aliens from Guatemala both came to our nation illegally and were released by the Obama Administration. Now Joseph Manfredi … is dead because of these monsters who never should have been in our country.”