SAN ANTONIO – A federal grand jury in San Antonio on Wednesday indicted two men charged in the June fatal tractor-trailer incident on the city’s Southwest Side that resulted in the deaths of 53 people and 11 more injured.
According to a federal indictment, Homero Zamorano Jr., 46, of Pasadena, and Christian Martinez, 28, of Palestine, are charged with one count of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens resulting in death; one count of transportation of illegal aliens resulting in death; one count of conspiracy to transport aliens resulting in serious bodily injury and placing lives in jeopardy; and one count of transportation of illegal aliens resulting in serious bodily injury and placing lives in jeopardy.
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If the men are found guilty of the charge of conspiracy to transport and transport resulting in death, they would face a maximum penalty of life in prison or the death penalty, a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas said.
Attorney General Merrick Garland will decide whether to seek the death penalty at a later time.
The defendants face up to 20 years in prison for the transporting resulting in serious bodily injury charges. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the US Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
According to federal officials, the two men discussed the smuggling incident from a cellphone belonging to Zamorano, who is also believed to have driven the trailer on June 27 from Laredo to Quintana Road in San Antonio.