Thread: TX: Murder charge pending against suspected immigrant smuggl

Murder charge pending against suspected immigrant smuggler
Sean Gaffney and Zack Quaintance
February 13, 2008 - 9:42AM
EAST OF SAN ISIDRO — A suspected coyote could face murder charges today, one day after he allegedly crashed a truck packed with illegal immigrants, killing one man as the group fled from U.S. Border Patrol agents.

Investigators from the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office believe the group is part of a large-scale human trafficking operation, Sheriff Lupe Treviño said.

Shortly after 4 a.m. Wednesday, the driver of the pickup truck got spooked at the sight of Border Patrol agents, the sheriff said. Pan-icking, the man drove the vehicle and his 16 illegal immigrant passengers into some brush near the intersection of Farm-to-Market roads 1017 and 681 in the tiny community of Puerto Rico, about 10 miles east of San Isidro.

A man standing in the truck’s bed suffered a fatal head wound during the crash, Treviño said.

The driver and several other passengers ran from the wreckage and disappeared into the brush. Border Patrol agents apprehended four suspects, including a 13-year-old boy who was clasping a bandaged arm when an ambulance carted him away from the scene late Wednesday morning.

The truck came to rest more than 20 feet from the road. Canned food, loaves of bread and bottled water littered the ground at the scene. Federal, state and local authorities combed the area in search of more suspects.

Evidence gathered at the scene led investigators to a nearby house, where they apprehended 13 illegal immigrants. Information obtained at the house led to the identification of the driver, Treviño said.

Authorities plan to make public the man’s identity after his expected arraignment todayon a charge of murder. The Hidalgo County district attorney’s office decided on the murder charge because “during the commission of a felony he took a life,â€

Man charged with murder after deadly wreck kills migrant
The Associated Press
Article Launched: 02/15/2008 01:21:46 AM MST


SAN ISIDRO, Texas—A man accused of causing the wreck that killed an illegal immigrant he was transporting remained jailed Friday in South Texas on a murder charge.
Arturo Vega Cardenas, 22, of Houston, admitted driving a pickup truck crammed with more than a dozen illegal immigrants, the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office said.

Authorities say Vega Cardenas crashed early Wednesday after driving off the road in an attempt to escape from U.S. Border Patrol agents. The wreck killed 52-year-old Jose Adolfo Padilla.

Vega Cardenas was being held without bond at the Hidalgo County Jail. He also faces federal charges stemming from the wreck. It was unclear if he had an attorney.

Investigators think the incident is connected to a human smuggling network, said Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Trevino.

The sheriff's office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement continue investigating.

http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_8268661