Grand jury indicts 2 Texas men in fatal San Antonio migrant tractor-trailer case
ByBob D'Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
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Dozens of suspected migrants found dead inside big-rig in San Antonio The fatalities included both men and women, ranging from teenagers to young adults. (NCD)
ByBob D'Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
SAN ANTONIO — A federal grand jury on Wednesday indicted two men accused in a fatal tractor-trailer incident in San Antonio that left 53 people dead and 11 injured, prosecutors said.
According to KSAT-TV, the jury in San Antonio indicted Homero Zamorano Jr., 46, and Christian Martinez, 28, both of Pasadena, Texas, on counts of transporting and conspiring to transport migrants illegally resulting in death; and transporting and conspiring to transport migrants illegally resulting in serious injury.
According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas, if both men are found guilty of the first charge, they would face a maximum penalty of life in prison or the death penalty.
A federal grand jury in San Antonio indicted two men charged in the June fatal tractor-trailer incident on the city’s Southwest Side that resulted in the deaths of 53 people and 11 more injured. https://t.co/m0FsHBJFGH
The defendants face up to 20 years in prison for the transporting resulting in serious bodily injury charges, the news release stated. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Both men remain in federal custody without bail pending trial, The Associated Press reported. Martinez’s attorney, David Shearer, declined to comment on the indictments. A message to Zamorano’s attorney was not immediately returned.
According to court documents, on June 27, Homeland Security Investigations responded to the scene of a human smuggling event in southwest San Antonio involving a tractor-trailer and 64 people suspected of entering the U.S. illegally.
HSI confirmed that 48 people at the scene had died, prosecutors said. Sixteen people were taken to area hospitals, where five died.
According to federal officials, Zamorano and Martinez discussed the smuggling incident from a cellphone belonging to Zamorano, who is also believed to have driven the trailer from Laredo to San Antonio, KSAT reported.
According to the AP, 10 migrants died in 2017 after being trapped inside a truck that was parked at a Walmart in San Antonio. In 2003, 19 migrants were found in a sweltering truck southeast of the South Texas city.
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Photos: Dozens of suspected migrants found dead inside big-rig in San Antonio An ambulance leaves the scene where police said dozens of people were found dead in a semitrailer in a remote area in southwestern San Antonio, Monday, June 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Photos: Dozens of suspected migrants found dead inside big-rig in San Antonio Onlookers stand near the scene where a semitrailer with multiple dead bodies was discovered, Monday, June 27, 2022, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Photos: Dozens of suspected migrants found dead inside big-rig in San Antonio Police work the scene where dozens of people were found dead in a semitrailer in a remote area in southwestern San Antonio, Monday, June 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Photos: Dozens of suspected migrants found dead inside big-rig in San Antonio Body bags lie at the scene where a tractor trailer with multiple dead bodies was discovered, Monday, June 27, 2022, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Photos: Dozens of suspected migrants found dead inside big-rig in San Antonio Police block the scene where a semitrailer with multiple dead bodies was discovered, Monday, June 27, 2022, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Photos: Dozens of suspected migrants found dead inside big-rig in San Antonio In this aerial view, members of law enforcement investigate a tractor trailer on June 27, 2022, in San Antonio, Texas. (Jordan Vonderhaar/Getty Images)
Photos: Dozens of suspected migrants found dead inside big-rig in San Antonio Priests gather near the scene where officials say dozens of people have been found dead and multiple others were taken to hospitals with heat-related illnesses after a semitrailer containing suspected migrants was found, Monday, June 27, 2022, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Photos: Dozens of suspected migrants found dead inside big-rig in San Antonio San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg, left, and San Antonio Police Chief William McManus depart from a briefing at the scene where they said dozens of people have been found dead and multiple others were taken to hospitals with heat-related illnesses after a semitrailer containing suspected migrants was found, Monday, June 27, 2022, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Photos: Dozens of suspected migrants found dead inside big-rig in San Antonio San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg with San Antonio Police Chief William McManus, left, brief media and others at the scene where they said dozens of people have been found dead and multiple others were taken to hospitals with heat-related illnesses after a semitrailer containing suspected migrants was found, Monday, June 27, 2022, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Photos: Dozens of suspected migrants found dead inside big-rig in San Antonio Police block the scene where a semitrailer with multiple dead bodies were discovered, Monday, June 27, 2022, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Photos: Dozens of suspected migrants found dead inside big-rig in San Antonio Police block the scene where a semitrailer with multiple dead bodies was discovered, Monday, June 27, 2022, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
