Thread: Illegal alien accused in death may go free — without trial

Illegal alien accused in death may go free — without trial

And she’ll arrive back in her native country a free woman.

bostonherald.com
by Christine McConville
Jessica Heslam contributed to this report.
Thursday, April 26, 2012


FACING FREEDOM: Blanca Contreras is arraigned
Dec. 5 for negligent motor vehicle homicide in the death of Scott Coxall of Waltham.

An illegal alien accused of running down a disabled Waltham man in a crosswalk the day before Thanksgiving, then fleeing the scene, may be deported to Guatemala a free woman without ever standing trial.

Federal officials, the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and the victim’s heartbroken parents are calling the impending release of Blanca Contreras a nightmare.

They all say a federal immigration judge in Boston should not have approved the 32-year-old woman’s deportation last week until she faced a jury on motor vehicle homicide, speeding, hit-and-run and seven other offenses.

“I want him to explain to me how he can let someone that’s facing criminal charges just go home. I’d like to see her stand trial,” said Thomas Coxall, father of Scott Coxall, 39, who authorities say was hit by a Nissan Pathfinder driven by Contreras Nov. 23 at up to 60 mph in a 30-mph zone.

Scott Coxall died a week later, never having regained consciousness.

Contreras’ defense lawyer, Gerard Walsh, claims his client wasn’t the one behind the wheel.

Thomas Coxall said his son — who was mentally disabled — was a great kid who loved the world and wouldn’t hurt anybody. “It’s an awful way for him to have to end his life,” the dad told the Herald yesterday.

Now even the Department of Homeland Security is protesting the deportation.

“The U.S. government objected and has now reserved the right to appeal this decision to the Board of Immigration Appeals,” said Homeland Sec-urity spokesman Ross Feinstein.

Middlesex District Attorney Gerard Leone Jr. is equally outraged.

“It remains our full intention to have the defendant tried, convicted and sentenced in a Mass-achusetts criminal court, before she is ever allowed to depart the U.S,” Leone spokeswoman Jessica Pastore said.

Contreras posted $50,000 cash bail three days after she was arrested Dec. 2, when a cousin showed up with the money. She was then scooped up by federal immigration officials, who are holding her in South Bay House of Correction in Boston.

Last Tuesday, Boston Immi-gration Court Judge Steven F. Day ruled that Contreras should be deported within weeks. The judge could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Justice Department’s Exec-utive Office of Immigration Review spokeswoman Susan Eastwood said immigration judge decisions are not public documents.

A Homeland Security official with knowledge of the case said the only reason Contreras could skip town is because she posted bail and the feds had only two options — deport her or set her free. The district attorney’s office said it did what it could.

“A high cash bail of $50,000 coupled with the fact that the defendant was being held in ICE custody ... was sufficient to assure her reappearance before the court,” Pastore said, adding they intend to ask a Waltham District Court judge to keep her behind bars on the original charges, only without bail.

If they fail, officials say Contreras soon will be escorted to a plane in handcuffs, but they will be taken off once she boards the Guatemala-bound plane.

And she’ll arrive back in her native country a free woman.

http://bostonherald.com/news/regiona..._without_trial

Crash victim’s family seeks to stop illegal’s trip

By Christine McConville
Monday, April 30, 2012

Scott Coxall’s heartbroken parents return to Waltham District Court today, hoping that a local judge will order that the illegal alien accused of killing their son be held without bail.

“We’ll be there to see what the judge decides,” Thomas Coxall of Waltham said.

Blanca Contreras, 32, is accused of motor vehicle homicide and nine other driving offenses, all linked to the Nov. 23, 2011, crash that triggered Scott Coxall’s death.

At her Dec. 5 arraignment, Contreras pleaded not guilty to the charges. After her cousin posted her $50,000 cash bail, she was released from local custody.

Then the federal government picked her up, saying she’s been in Massachusetts illegally for 10 years.

As her removal proceedings got under way, a federal judge agreed to let Contreras return to her native Guatemala.

Now, the Coxall family fears she’ll leave before her trial begins.
To prevent that, Middlesex District Attorney Gerard Leone’s office will ask a district court judge to return Contreras to local custody by ordering her held without bail.
Crash victim’s family seeks to stop illegal’s trip - BostonHerald.com

Contreras posted $50,000 cash bail three days after she was arrested Dec. 2, when a cousin showed up with the money. She was then scooped up by federal immigration officials, who are holding her in South Bay House of Correction in Boston.

That is a lot of CASH for a "cousin" to post for bail. A struggling illegal alien has $50,000 for bail - right.

Guatemalan immigrant ordered held without bail in fatal Waltham hit-and-run


Blanca Contreras 4/30/12 2
Pool photo by Boston Herald/Ted Fitzgerald
Blanca Contreras, 32, was arraigned and ordered held without bail at Waltham District Court on Monday, April 30, 2012. She faces motor vehicle homicide charges in the death of Scott Coxall last year in a hit-and-run accident.
By Ignacio Laguarda
Last update Apr 30, 2012 @ 03:10 PM



The Guatemalan woman charged with running over and killing a Waltham man last Thanksgiving eve was ordered held without bail Monday, days after an immigration judge granted her request for deportation.

At Waltham District Court on Monday, April 30, Blanca Contreras appeared before judge Gregory Flynn, who ordered that custody of Contreras be transferred from United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to the Middlesex Sheriff’s Department. She has been detained by ICE ever since her friend, Osman Barrera, posted her $50,000 bail.

Contreras faces several charges, including reckless vehicular homicide, after the Nov. 23 incident in which police say she hit Scott “Scotty” Coxall with her SUV at the intersection of Church and School streets at about 6 p.m.

Essentially, Contreras will now have to face trial in the United States. Only after the trial, and possibly jail time, would she be deported back to Guatemala.

According to an official with knowledge of the case, the reason Contreras was granted deportation was because if she was denied, she would have to be released by ICE and allowed back on the streets. Similarly, the reason ICE took custody of Contreras in the first place was because she posted bail and was released from local custody. Because she qualified as a flight risk, they decided to detain her instead of letting her walk away.

Contreras has been in the United States illegally for 11 years, according to Middlesex County District Attorney Gerry Leone’s office.

“Our intention for today’s hearing was to request that, given the defendant’s change in circumstances, the defendant be held without bail during the pendency of the Commonwealth’s case,” said Jessica Pastore, a spokeswoman for Leone’s office. “We are obviously pleased that the Judge agreed to our motion and it remains our full intention to have the defendant tried, convicted and sentenced in a Massachusetts criminal court, before she is ever allowed to depart the U.S.”

Video courtesy WCAC-TV

She also faces charges of driving without a Massachusetts driver’s license, driving to endanger, leaving the scene of an crash with property damage, leaving the scene of a crash with personal injury, using a vehicle without authority, speeding, failure to stop at a stop sign, and failure to stop for a pedestrian at a crosswalk.

Read more: Guatemalan immigrant ordered held without bail in fatal Waltham hit-and-run - Waltham, Massachusetts - Wicked Local Waltham Guatemalan immigrant ordered held without bail in fatal Waltham hit-and-run - Waltham, Massachusetts - Wicked Local Waltham

58,000 no big step for the mexican cartels helping a mule to keep her quiet.

What's up with the mask and gloves? It makes you wonder if Contreras has TB or some other dread disease.

Originally Posted by Mayday

What's up with the mask and gloves? It makes you wonder if Contreras has TB or some other dread disease.

Maybe Contreras does have an airborne disease like TB, but in that case, she would be the one wearing a mask.

The person wearing the mask and gloves is probably a translator who is protecting her identity, lest she suffer retribution for assisting a heinous criminal. Or she may use infection precautions routinely because illegal aliens are statistically more likely to carry TB or other infectious airborne diseases than the general population.