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Illegal Immigrant Had Several Aliases, Charges Against Him

POSTED: 12:24 pm EST February 15, 2007
UPDATED: 2:04 pm EST February 15, 2007

SALISBURY, N.C. -- An illegal immigrant accused of causing a deadly accident in Landis went before a Rowan County judge for the first time via video camera Thursday morning.

Carlos Alfonso Guillen Martinez, 33, could not be in the Salisbury courtroom because of the injuries he sustained in the crash. He had to be taken to the Rowan County jail on a stretcher because his broken legs are still healing.

Martinez faces second-degree murder and driving while impaired charges. Immigration officials also uncovered he had at least six aliases and has faced charges under each name. His criminal history includes 10 charges, including a DWI conviction in 2004 for which he was placed on probation.

Authorities said he has lived in the Kannapolis area for at least seven years.

The El Salvador native has already been deported from the United States twice, and if convicted of the charges against him he will be deported again after serving his prison term.

Authorities say Martinez was speeding away from a Kannapolis police officer on Feb. 6 when he slammed head-on into 20-year-old Leeanna Newman's car on South Main Street in Landis.

Newman and her unborn child were killed. Her young daughter survived the crash.

Sheila Riddle, who owns a business near the scene of the crash, said she can’t believe Martinez has already been deported twice.

“It just stuns me that we can not actually do something about the situation,” she said. “It can’t be taken care of in a permanent way because he’s determined to be here. He keeps coming back.”

After his appearance in court Martinez was taken by Rowan County sheriff’s deputies to the medical unit at Raleigh’s Central Prison.