Trucker indicted in migrant deaths
2 conspiracy counts for driver of big rig in which 10 died
The driver of a tractor-trailer packed with people illegally entering the U.S. in an alleged human smuggling operation is indicted on charges related to the deaths of 10 people inside.
SAN ANTONIO — The driver of a big rig that had dozens of immigrants trapped in its sweltering trailer last month, 10 of whom died, is facing more charges including two counts of conspiracy.
A federal grand jury Wednesday formally indicted James Matthew Bradley Jr. with one count of conspiracy to transport and harbor undocumented aliens for financial gain resulting in death; one count of transportation of undocumented aliens resulting in death; one count of conspiracy to transport and harbor undocumented aliens for financial gain resulting in serious bodily injury and placing lives in jeopardy; one count of transporting undocumented aliens resulting in serious bodily injury and placing lives in jeopardy.
Bradley also faces one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Authorities recovered a .38 caliber pistol from the cab of the rig operated by Bradley, who has several convictions and arrests in several states, including felonies.
On the night of July 22 and early morning of July 23, Bradley’s tractor-trailer was parked near a Walmart store on the Southwest Side of San Antonio when store employees called police upon seeing several immigrants emerge from the refrigerated trailer. When San Antonio police and firefighters arrived, they found the 39 people, with eight of the immigrants dead at the scene.
Court records stated the trailer’s cooling system wasn’t working.
The survivors were taken to local hospitals, where two more immigrants later died. Survivors testify
Bradley, 61, of Florida, was arrested July 23 on a preliminary charge of transporting undocumented immigrants for financial gain resulting in death.
On Wednesday, four survivors testified as material witnesses before the grand jury, accompanied by their court-appointed lawyer, Mike McCrum.
“My clients were nervous,” McCrum said upon leaving. “This is not a pleasant experience for them, but they know it’s part of the justice system. They have concerns for themselves or their families, but they’re doing everything possible so this won’t happen to anyone else.
“They just wanted to work,” McCrum added. “Their families wanted them to work to help pay for living expenses.”
After they were rescued, some of the survivors told officials they had been smuggled from Mexico, were picked up in Laredo and that there had been between 70 and 180 to 200 people during transport. They also described differing fees for being transported.
The records stated some survivors described desperately pounding on the trailer’s walls as the heat overcame them. They also took turns taking gasps of air through a small hole in the trailer. Two remain in hospital
The trucker has told investigators he did not know the immigrants were in the trailer until he stopped at the Walmart to use the bathroom and was overrun by immigrants when he opened the doors.
Court records said some of the immigrants had fled by the time police arrived or were picked up by sport utility vehicles.
Since then, 27 of the victims — 23 adults and four teens — have been released from the hospitals. Two immigrants remain in the hospital, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement late Wednesday.
Of those who died, eight were from Mexico and one was from Guatemala, and were identified by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The identity of a juvenile was not released. The 10th victim has not been identified, according to an official with Mexico’s Consulate General in San Antonio and the statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Bradley could face up to life in prison if convicted of the charges resulting in death, or even the death penalty if local federal prosecutors make that recommendation. No one else has been charged.