The U.S. Department of Homeland Security told The Tennessee Star on Friday that it filed an immigration detainer against Ulises Raigoza-Martinez after the illegal alien from Mexico pleaded guilty on Wednesday to his role in the killing of a Nashville restaurant owner in 2024.
Davidson County court records reveal Raigoza-Martinez (pictured above) pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, two theft charges, and one evidence tampering count, after he and an associate were accused of killing Smokin Thighs owner Matthew Carney.
Authorities say the popular restaurant owner interrupted the criminals as they were stealing tools from his vehicles. Carney reportedly attempted to stop Raigoza-Martinez from fleeing the scene by blocking their Nissan, but Raigoza-Martinez struck the restaurant owner with his vehicle, throwing him onto its hood, and leaving Carney on Wedgewood Avenue with severe head injuries. He succumbed to his injuries less than a month later.
Matt Carney
The DHS told The Tennessee Star that Raigoza-Martinez crossed the border into the United States from Mexico into Texas illegally under former President Joe Biden in 2021.
“This criminal illegal alien pleaded guilty to murder, theft, and tampering with evidence after he ran over and killed Matt Carney in Nashville, Tennessee,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis in a statement provided to The Star.
Bis stated, “This criminal illegal alien should NEVER have been in our country to commit this heinous murder. We will work with our state and local partners in Tennessee to ensure that he is handed over to ICE custody once his sentence is complete, so that we can remove him from our country.”
DHS also reconfirmed details about the events that preceded the fatal hit-and-run which led to Carney’s death.
According to the federal agency, Raigoza-Martinez “was driving through the parking lot when he stopped to steal tools from a pickup truck,” which belonged to Carney.
“When Carney came out of the building to confront him, Raigoza-Martinez took off and struck Carney, who landed on the vehicle’s hood. Carney was then thrown off the hood when Raigoza-Martinez made a turn,” DHS stated. “Carney died of his injuries at the hospital on July 4, 2024.”
A state report released last year revealed that nearly 3,000 illegal aliens were arrested or convicted in Tennessee during the final three months of 2024. Over all of 2025, authorities recorded a total of 11,344 reports of illegal aliens being charged or convicted of crimes.
Last year, a joint operation between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) resulted in the arrests of nearly 200 illegal aliens in Davidson County.
– – –
Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
