17-year-old Texan Charged with Murder of 9 Illegal Immigrants (updated)
jdjournal.com
17-year-old Texan Charged with Murder of 9 Illegal Immigrants
http://d3vddn0swh40nc.cloudfront.net...an-300x169.jpgA 15-year-old Texan boy has been charged with nine counts of murder after the van he was driving crashed, killing nine illegal immigrants and wounding for more. The gutted van had been stuffed with 19 illegal immigrants; they were pulled over,and one of them ran for it, after which the van took off only to crash a few blocks later. Of the four illegal immigrants who escaped, two have been apprehended.
The boy will also be charged with one account of evading. He claims he drove the van because his family was threatened.
A 23-year-old witness to the aftermath of the wreck, Diana Castillo, said that amidst the backpacks and water bottles, the bodies were still moving. The bodies were everywhere, and added that Its really sad they came over here to live a better life and then they lost their lives.
The van crashed at 10:30 p.m. on U.S. Route 83 despite the fair weather and despite that fact that the police were not pursuing them. at this point, there is no reason to believe there was a pursuit, said Border Patrol spokesman Enrique Mendiola.
The boy has also been charged with 17 counts of smuggling a person. All the illegal immigrants were men and Mexican citizens.
Witness blames Border Patrol for Palmview accident
by Hannah Linn
Posted: 2 hrs, 15 mins ago
valleycentral.com
A teen smuggler involved in an accident that killed nine illegal immigrants back in April remains behind bars.
But there's a twist in the case.
Border Patrol agents were expected to testify on Tuesday as witnesses in the juvenile court hearing.
However, that did not happen.
Instead, defense attorneys called on one key witness, whose testimony has changed the course of this investigation.
The district attorney's office stated the underage driver fled from law enforcement, and the accident was caused by his own reckless driving.
However, the defense told Judge Jesse Contreras that they have significant information that claims a border patrol unit caused the accident.
The defense attorney asked the witness what he saw the night of the accident.
The witness claims he saw a Border Patrol vehicle bump into the van from behind, causing the van to fishtail and roll over multiple times.
The district attorney's office was in strong disapproval of this testimony, but Judge Contreras granted the defense to bring the witness to the stand.
The judge also granted the defense's request to have experts help reconstruct the accident, and even praised the witness for taking the stand.
A pre-trial date for the teen held responsible for this accident is set on this case for November 1st at the 449th district court, and the trial date is set at November 14th.
Witness blames Border Patrol for Palmview accident : News : ValleyCentral.com
Judge refuses to release teen driver in crash
Thursday, September 20, 2012 | Updated: Thursday, September 20, 2012 6:22pm
Associated Press
EDINBURG, Texas (AP) A 15-year-old South Texas boy facing nine counts of murder crashed a minivan loaded with 19 people in April because he was bumped by a pursuing Border Patrol vehicle, his lawyer said Thursday.
The agent involved in that pursuit testified Thursday at a detention hearing in juvenile court that he only came upon the scene shortly after the April 10 crash. That countered testimony two days earlier by a Palmview resident who said he witnessed the wreck and saw the Border Patrol vehicle bump the fleeing minivan.
Ultimately, Hidalgo County district Judge Jesse Contreras decided the boy, who is not being identified because he is a minor, should stay in detention pending trial.
In addition to the murder counts, the boy faces 17 counts of smuggling of a person causing serious bodily injury or death and one count of evading. A decision on whether he will stand trial as an adult is pending. Six adults allegedly involved in the smuggling ring were arrested later.
Border Patrol agent William Ramsey testified that he and another agent had pulled over the minivan and a sedan after being told of suspected immigrant smuggling in the area.
"I saw that the van was loaded down and had a number of people," Ramsey said. As he walked toward the van a passenger jumped out and ran and then the van sped off. Ramsey said he returned to his vehicle and drove off fast in pursuit, but as soon as he turned the corner onto the highway frontage road where the wreck occurred the van was already out of sight.
"Within about a quarter-mile, I saw a dust cloud and a vehicle that was wrecked on the south side of the road," Ramsey testified. He described a heavily damaged van and bodies on the ground. At the scene, he encountered Albino Villarreal, a resident who Ramsey said helped direct traffic.
It was Villarreal who had testified Tuesday that he saw the Border Patrol vehicle closely pursuing the minivan and then bump it. A message left for him Thursday was not immediately returned.
"The van was not driving 100 mph, it was not the reckless driving of this young man and the purported behavior, but in fact it was a direct result of the contact, of being run off the road by the Border Patrol agent that led to these tragic deaths," Jaime Aleman, attorney for the boy, told the judge Thursday.
Prosecutor Amy Tellez had objected to the questioning of the Border Patrol agent, arguing that it did not speak to the question of probable cause that was needed to hold the boy in detention. She said it was clear that the boy was evading arrest when the crash occurred he was arrested two days later and that in his statement to investigators, he never mentioned being bumped by Border Patrol.
Judge refuses to release teen driver in crash - Houston Chronicle
