The original suspect in the murder of an America’s Next Top Model contestant and three others was scheduled to be ejected from the US in 2012 but was granted deferred deportation under President Obama’s amnesty policy, it was revealed today. Emmanuel Jesus Rangel-Hernandez, 19, was arrested last month in connection to a triple-homicide in Charlotte, North Carolina, that claimed the lives of aspiring model Mirjana Puhar, 19, her 23-year-old boyfriend Jonathan Alvarado, and 21-year-old Jusmar Isiah Gonzaga-Garcia. His alleged accomplice, 19-year-old David Ezequel Lopez, was taken into custody Thursday and jailed on three counts of first-degree murder. Scroll down for video . Dreamer:  Emmanuel Jesus Rangel (right), 19, charged with the murder of America's Next Top Model contestant Mirjana Puhar (right), was supposed to be deported in 2012 but was granted amnesty . According to a statement released by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican, and GOP Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Rangel was permitted to stay in the country under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Records indicate Rangel, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, was placed in the removal process by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement after being charged with drug violations in March 2012. On December 18, 2012, however, removal proceedings were dismissed because Rangel was approved for deferred action under the DACA policy, despite his suspected affiliation with a street gang, of which ICE was allegedly aware. 'Accomplice': Second suspect David Lopez, 19, charged with three counts of first-degree murder in deaths of Mirjana Puhar, Jonathan Alvarado and Jusmar Isiah Gonzaga-Garcia . ‘This raises serious concerns about USCIS’s review and approval of other DACA applicants and points to potential vulnerabilities in the system’ Senators Grassley and Tillis wrote in a letter sent in February to the Department of Homeland Security requesting information about Rangel’s status. Under the amnesty program, which was enacted by President Obama's executive action, more than 675,000 young immigrants since August 2012 have been granted a work permit and reprieve from deportation. Republicans have long decried Obama's executive immigration as a form of backdoor amnesty that circumvents Congress. Homeland Security Department documents say participation in the program can be revoked at any time. US Citizenship and Immigration Services, which approves applications, reported to the House Judiciary Committee last year the government stripped that protection from 113 people as of August. The revocations included one case of gang membership, one aggravated assault, 11 driving-under-the-influence cases and 11 errors by USCIS, according to the committee. As recently as last week, 15 criminal immigrants protected form deportation under DACA were arrested in raid carried out by federal agents. On Thursday, a second suspect, David Ezequel Lopez, 19, was charged with killing the former America's Next Top Model contestant, her boyfriend and another man, in what police were calling a drug-related attack. Lopez voluntarily came to police headquarters to be interviewed. He was then transported to the Mecklenburg County Jail. In late February, investigators arrested 19-year-old Rangel and charged him with the slayings, which have been described as drug-related. Rangel has also been charged in a separate murder that occurred February 22. He is one of three people charged in connection with a homicide at a motel in Matthews, police said. Police would not say exactly what role Lopez played in the Norris Avenue murders. Puhar, a Serbian national, appeared in the modeling show's 21st cycle, which began airing last August. Daily Mail Online reported last month that the 19-year-old fashionista was shot in the head as she opened the door to two robbers, who then killed her boyfriend, Alvarado, and his roommate, Gonzaga-Garcia. James Jackson, the stepfather of Alvarado, 23, said robbery was the reason behind the shooting, explaining that Emmanuel Rangel got the wrong impression that Alvarado had a lot of money on hand after he had paid $1,500 for a car the week before. Victims: Puhar's 23-year-old boyfriend Jonathan Alvarado (left) and his roommate, 21-year-old Jusmar Isiah Gonzaga-Garcia (right) were also killed in the attack . Crime scene: Puhar was reportedly shot in the head when she opened the door to the two suspects at this home in Charlotte, North Carolina . The father also revealed that his stepson, a recent transplant from Puerto Rico, and Puhar were planning to get married after dating for six months. Alvarado openly talked about his drug habit, posted pictures of marijuana on his Facebook page along with those of friends brandishing guns, but Puhar's friends insisted that she never used narcotics. They said it was iill fortune that put her 'in the wrong place at the wrong time' and saw her gunned down in the bungalow she shared with the two other victims. The Charlotte Observer reported on Puhar's emerging career in a story published in 2014. She told the newspaper that her family fled Serbia after the Kosovo War and moved to North Carolina a decade later. Puhar said she began modeling at age 12 and did runway shows at Charlotte Fashion Week. She said she had a troubled adolescence and eventually quit school. 'I was a wild child,' she said. 'I went out, had fun, partied, whatever - I didn't really have the best influences around me.' Rising star: The Serbian national (right) appeared in the reality TV modeling show's 21st cycle . Good girl: Puhar's friends insisted that the 19-year-old was not a drug user. Her boyfriend, however, boasted online about his narcotics habit . Puhar reached the 10th episode of the current season of AMNT before she was eliminated from the competition . After dropping out of high school, Puhar decided to obtain her GED in 2013. Shortly after that, she was cast on "America's Next Top Model," a reality show on The CW network that pits aspiring models against each other. In an interview with CW affiliate WCCB in Charlotte, Puhar described her experience on the show, including meeting co-producer and model Tyra Banks. 'She's amazing. She's definitely a great mentor,' Puhar said. Puhar reached the 10th episode of the current season of the show before she was eliminated from the competition. Banks and co-producer Ken Mok issued a statement mourning Puhar's death. 'We are deeply saddened to learn of the tragic news about Mirjana Puhar. She was a vivacious and promising young woman. Our hearts and prayers go out to her loved ones,' the statement said.
Emmanuel Jesus Rangel, 19, was charged in connection to triple homicide last month; he is also facing charges in unrelated murder case . Rangel, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, was permitted to stay in US under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals in 2012 . The teen was granted amnesty under Obama's program despite his criminal record . David Lopez, 19, charged with three counts of first-degree murder in deaths of Mirjana Puhar, Jonathan Alvarado and Jusmar Isiah Gonzaga-Garcia . Police believe the killings were drug-related, but Puhar's friends insisted she did not use narcotics . Puhar, 19, was a contestant on modeling show's 21st cycle .