A federal grand jury handed down an indictment against the Florida truck driver arrested in connection with the deaths of 10 illegal aliens. The man is accused of hauling more than 100 illegal aliens from Laredo to San Antonio. He allegedly locked the illegal aliens in the back of the trailer where they faced temperatures in excess of 110 degrees for several hours.
Officials with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas changed the description of one of the deceased illegal aliens from an adult to being a juvenile. The office did not disclose any additional information about the minor. Four juveniles are listed among those requiring hospitalization following the smuggling incident according to Daryl Fields, spokesman for the Western District of Texas office.
Fields lists the following deceased illegal aliens:
- Ruben Hernandez-Vargas, age 27, of Mexico, died July 23, 2017
- Osbaldo Rodriguez-Cerda, age 21, of Mexico, died July 23, 2017
- Frank Fuentes-Gonzalez, age 18, of Guatemala, died July 23, 2017
- Jorge Reyes-Noveron, age 26, of Mexico, died July 23, 2017
- ** Mariano Lopez-Cano, age unknown, of Mexico, died July 23, 2017
- Jose Rodriguez-Aspeitia, age 36, of Mexico, died July 23, 2017
- Benjamin Martinez-Arredondo, age 37, of Mexico, died July 23, 2017
- ** Ricardo Martinez-Esparza, age 24, of Mexico, died July 24, 2017
** indicates individual died after being transported to local hospital
Fields said one other adult is among the deceased. Officials have not yet determined that person’s identity. Officials previously described all of the deceased migrants as males.
The indictment formally charges James Matthew Bradley, Jr., with Transporting Undocumented Aliens for Financial Gain Resulting in Death. Bradley could face the death penalty if he is convicted, Breitbart Texas reported in July.
Investigators said in the previously reported criminal complaint:
Bradley said he was traveling from Laredo to San Antonio, after having the tractor-trailer washed and detailed at a truck stop near Laredo. He intended to take the trailer to Brownsville to deliver it to someone who had purchased it. He stopped at the Wal-Mart and heard banging and shaking in the trailer.
Bradley told investigators he had his truck and trailer washed in Laredo. He later moved the rig to another stop where he reportedly had the tractor-trailer “detailed.” He disclosed his final destination to be Brownsville, Texas, where he was delivering the trailer to a new owner. The criminal complaint does not say why he would choose to go through San Antonio, a detour that adds more than 200 miles to the trip.
Bradley allegedly said he did not have a deadline for the delivery, nor did he have a delivery address.
The courts have not yet scheduled further proceedings for Bradley.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.