Thread: Illegal immigrant to plead guilty

dailypress.com/news/dp-news_turcios_0206feb06,0,4500098.story

dailypress.com
Illegal immigrant to plead guilty
The man is charged with killing his roommate in June.
By Peter Dujardin

247-4749

February 6, 2008

NEWPORT NEWS

An illegal immigrant from El Salvador in town to lay cable for a Verizon Communications contractor plans to plead guilty to second-degree murder in the June stabbing death of his roommate at a Newport News motel.

Anunciacion Santos Turcios, 23, is charged with killing Cecillio Leon Hernandez, 30, of Veracruz, Mexico, at Colonial Courts Motel, located at 10451 Jefferson Ave. near the intersection of Willow Drive. Turcios and Hernandez were co-workers, with police saying a fight between them at the motel room led to the slaying.

In Newport News General District Court on Tuesday, Turcios waived his right to a preliminary hearing, designed to ensure enough exists to go forward with a trial. The case was sent to Newport News Circuit Court, with an April hearing set before Judge Timothy S. Fisher.

Turcios, who has been in jail since June, was initially charged with first-degree murder and unlawful stabbing.

But as part of a verbal agreement with the Newport News Commonwealth's Attorney's office, the stabbing charge has been dropped, and Turcios plans to plead guilty to second-degree rather than first-degree murder, said Gregory R. Wright Sr., Turcios' attorney with the Newport News public defender's office.

"It's expected that he will plead guilty to second," Wright said.

Wright declined to reveal the nature of the evidence against Turcios or why second-degree murder rather than first-degree murder was warranted. Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Kimberly A. Kurkjian did not return a phone message seeking comment.

At about 3 a.m. June 24, police responded to a 911 call about a fight inside Colonial Courts' Room 318. Upon arrival, officers found the lifeless body of Hernandez with several stab wounds to the torso. A witness identified Turcios as the suspect, according to a police report in the court filing.

"He was interviewed, at which time he confessed to stabbing the victim to death," the police report said.

Police said the men had been drinking. The two lived in the room with a third man, Jose Santos Turcios.

Newport News Police Department spokesman Lou Thurston said Turcios and Hernandez were both illegal immigrants.

Kathleen Carey, a Newport News Sheriff's Department spokeswoman, said Immigration and Customs Enforcement was notified, and the agency has put a detainer on Turcios. He can be deported after serving his prison sentence.

In his booking papers, Turcios' employer was listed as "Verizon-lays cable." He told police he had been employed in Newport News for eight months.

Verizon is replacing its old phone lines in Hampton Roads and nationwide with a fiber-optic system.

Verizon spokesman Harry Mitchell said Turcios was not a Verizon employee. The company's main contractor for the cable work in Virginia — Greensboro, N.C.-based Ivy H. Smith Co. — had a subcontractor that was caught by Virginia State Police with 14 illegal immigrants in a van during a routine traffic stop last May.

Robert Rigney, Ivy H. Smith Co.'s attorney with the Norfolk firm of Protogyrou & Rigney, said he did not believe Turcios worked for Ivy Smith. Rigney said Ivy Smith hires several subcontractor companies, though he said he had no way of immediately knowing if Turcios worked for one of them.

"We get certifications that the subcontractors provide to us that says: 'These people are legit. They are not illegal,'" Rigney said.

If that turns out not to be true, he said, Ivy Smith stops hiring through that subcontractor.



Copyright © 2008, Newport News, Va., Daily Press

http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-news_ ... 0098.story

Verizon and all the media co. use subs to get away with hiring IA's and this loophole needs to be closed.

I complain to any Co. I see using this tactic and let them know they are ultimately responsible for the influx of IA's and I report them to ICE who does nothing,but at least I let ICE know and maybe if enough of us complain about this the law will be changed.