Thread: Illegal immigrant pleads guilty to federal gun charge in death of young Huntsville gi

Illegal immigrant pleads guilty to federal gun charge in death of young Huntsville girl

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Posted on July 6, 2017 at 12:44 PM
BY ASHLEY REMKUS
aremkus@al.com

The man who accidentally killed a 5-year-old Huntsville girl on New Year's Day has pleaded guilty to a federal gun charge because he was in the United States illegally.


Fidel Canchola (Limestone County Jail)

Fidel Rodriguez-Canchola, 34, pleaded guilty to illegally possession the .22-cailber revolver that he fired in celebration of the new year on Jan. 1, the Department of Justice announced today. Canchola fired the gun outside an Athens home, accidentally hitting Regina Hernandez, a 5-year-old from Huntsville.

Canchola is a native and citizen of Mexico, according to the DOJ.

Initially he was charged with misdemeanor criminally negligent homicide in Limestone County by the sheriff's office. It's not clear what will happen to that case now that Canchola has pleaded guilty in the federal case. The maximum sentence in the local case is a year in jail.

Canchola will be sentenced for the federal charge Oct. 12 by U.S. District Judge Abdul K. Kallon. Canchola faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine up to $250,000.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement picked up Canchola at the Limestone County Jail in January after obtaining a "detainer" that asked the Sheriff's Office to hold the suspect.

Canchola had been held with bail set at $20,000 since his arrest on Jan. 1. Within 48 hours of Canchola posting bail, ICE agents, as allowed per the detainer, picked up the suspect.

ICE became involved after local authorities couldn't verify Canchola's citizenship status.

Canchola was in the yard of his Athens home on Buckskin Drive when he fired multiple shots from his pistol to celebrate the new year around midnight, authorities said. About 25-30 people were at the home for a party.

Hernandez, who was inside Canchola's mobile home, went outside and ended up in the line of fire, police have said. Canchola, who fled the scene, was taken into sheriff's custody hours after the shooting.

He admitted firing the weapon but "insisted that he had not seen the child until she fell," according to his plea agreement.

The case was investigated by ATF, ICE along with the sheriff's office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa K. Atwood is the prosecutor.

http://www.al.com/news/huntsville/in...ds_guilty.html

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