Thread: Illegal Immigrant Trucker Acquitted in Diplomat's Death

Trucker Acquitted in Diplomat's Death
GREENSBURG, Pa., 08.03.2007
The Associated Press,
http://www.wbt.com/news/details.cfm?ap_id=D8QPGP200

An illegal immigrant was acquitted of criminal wrongdoing in the death of a Honduran diplomat who was killed when his tractor-trailer slammed into her car on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

A Westmoreland County jury found Thursday there was not enough evidence to support a vehicular homicide conviction against Sam Thompson, a native of Ghana residing in Gaithersburg, Md.

Thompson's tractor-trailer rear-ended the car in which Nuria Ortiz Navarro, 31, a trade and investment promotion counselor with the Honduran embassy, was riding on Feb. 8 about 20 miles outside of Pittsburgh.

"It is heartbreaking," said her husband, Pablo Miranda Nigro, after the verdict was announced. "It's not fair. I don't have any feeling of revenge, but I just want justice. He was guilty."

Prosecutors argued that Thompson fell asleep after falsifying driver logs to indicate he was properly rested.

But Thompson testified the Volkswagen Jetta in which Navarro was traveling suddenly pulled in front of him, leaving no time to take evasive action.

Jurors agreed that Thompson had not fallen asleep. "We could not say beyond a reasonable doubt that he did anything wrong," said foreman Gerald Puskar.

Thompson was returned to jail, where he was to be turned over to U.S. immigration officials. Ernestine Fobbs, a U.S. Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman, said Thompson would be detained because of his illegal status.
Defense attorney Emily Smarto said Thompson is trying to obtain legal residency. He is married to a U.S. citizen and has two children.

Let us get rid of this man and send him home.

Send him home and give a citizen that trucker job! AND THEY CAN'T USE THE LINE ITS A JOB AMERICANS WON'T DO!

He is an illegal immigrant and he was allowed to drive a truck?

How did that happen?

Who owns the truck?

Miscarriage of justice
Sunday, August 5, 2007


Let me see if I understand this correctly ("Trial to begin for trucker accused in diplomat's death in Westmoreland accident," July 31 and PghTrib.com).
An illegal alien allegedly falsifies records and gets a job driving a truck. He then drives without sleep and allegedly falsifies his log, which would violate federal laws.

He then allegedly takes a nap at the wheel and rear-ends a car, taking the life of a valuable diplomat.

For his trial, those of us who pay taxes in Westmoreland County have the privilege of footing the bill for travel from foreign countries and translators to defend him, not to mention the cost of the trial itself. (A Westmoreland jury on Thursday found the trucker not guilty of vehicular homicide.)

This sounds to me like rights that perhaps a legal resident of our county would have. I am not sure why an illegal has these rights. I know that as a so-called "law-abiding country" we should extend these rights to others legally in this country, but why to an illegal?
If someone has to pay for this, why not start at the trucking company that hired him.


If I have this right, it's just wrong.


Joyce Cline
Rostraver Township

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsbu ... 20585.html