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.