Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.
One of the men indicted over last year’s San Antonio tractor-trailer tragedy, in which 53 migrants died, pleaded guilty to several smuggling-related charges on Wednesday, according to the Department of Justice.
Christian Martinez, 29, of Palestine, was involved in the attempt to illegally transport migrants across the southern border, which resulted in the nation’s deadliest human smuggling event after dozens of people were locked in a big rig without water or air conditioning in the Texas summer heat.
An indictment unsealed earlier this year alleged that Martinez drove one of his co-defendants, Homero Zamorano Jr. of Pasadena, 47, to a gas station where Zamorano picked up the trailer. Martinez later communicated messages about the trailer’s progress to others involved in the smuggling activity.
According to the Justice Department, Martinez is set to receive his sentence on January 4th, with a potential maximum punishment of life imprisonment.
According to federal prosecutors, seven individuals are potentially facing life imprisonment due to the tragedy. Martinez has become the first person to plead guilty.
