Illegal Immigrant Murders Nashville Restaurant Owner, Faces Deportation After Prison

Authorities are targeting Ulises Raigoza-Martinez, a Mexican citizen who illegally crossed into the United States through Texas in 2021, for the murder of Nashville restaurant owner Matt Carney.

Raigoza-Martinez pleaded guilty and received a lengthy prison sentence on Tuesday. Following this, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) filed an immigration detainer against him, demanding that Tennessee officials alert them prior to his release for deportation proceedings, as confirmed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

The incident occurred on June 19, 2024, in the parking lot of Smokin' Thighs, where Raigoza-Martinez attempted to steal tools from Carney's pickup truck.

When Carney, aged 42, confronted him, Raigoza-Martinez fled the scene, hitting Carney with his vehicle. The impact sent Carney crashing onto the hood before he was thrown to the ground as Raigoza-Martinez turned the vehicle.

Carney sustained severe injuries and succumbed at a Nashville hospital on July 4, 2024.

Raigoza-Martinez was apprehended in South Nashville on July 18, 2024.

On July 22, 2026, he entered a guilty plea for murder, theft exceeding $10,000, tampering with evidence, and theft over $2,500, resulting in a 20-year prison sentence.

DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis stated that Raigoza-Martinez "should NEVER have been in our country to commit this heinous murder."

Bis emphasized that they will collaborate with state and local authorities in Tennessee to ensure he is transferred to ICE custody upon completing his sentence for deportation.

If Tennessee complies with the ICE detainer request, federal immigration officials will take Raigoza-Martinez into custody after his prison term ends to initiate removal proceedings.