A truck driver was sentenced to life behind bars without the possibility of parole for the horrifying deaths of 10 immigrants who died in the sweltering trailer of his truck on a summer day in Texas.
James Matthew Bradley Jr., 61, of Louisville, KY., had pleaded guilty in October, to one count of conspiracy to transport aliens resulting in death and one count of transporting aliens resulting in death. He will spend the rest of his life in a federal lockup.
It was just after midnight, on July 23 when police found 39 people in the trailer of a semi truck in a Walmart parking lot near San Antonio, Texas, eight were dead and two would die later at the hospital. According to court documents obtained by Fox News, police on the scene were told that there were as many as 200 people in there at one point, four of them unaccompanied minors.
In this July 24, 2017 file photo, James Matthew Bradley arrives at the federal court house. He had carted immigrants from Mexico and Guatemala.
James Matthew Bradley, 61, in his mugshot. At first he told police he had no idea that there were people in the trailer of his big rig
In this July 23rd photo, Bradley’s truck (right) is towed from the Walmart parking lot
The temperature had reached 101 degrees that day, and the refrigeration in the trailer was broken. The passengers, who reported to cops that they had paid to be smuggled in the truck, had no water. Many of them were hospitalized for heat related issues.
Bradley was found in the cab of the tractor trailer. At first he told authorities that he had no idea that there were people in his trailer, but later admitted his role in the smuggling. In addition to his prison sentence, he has been ordered to surrender the truck, $5600 and a .38 caliber pistol that were found in the cab that night.
Pedro Silva Segura, 47, an illegal immigrant living in Laredo Texas has also pleaded guilty. He will be sentenced in June.
After Bradley was sentenced Friday, United States Attorney John Bash said in a statement, ‘I am gratified that the court imposed an appropriate punishment for this horrific crime. Through this prosecution, we have sent two unmistakable messages: first, that alien smuggling is a dangerous offense with real victims; and second, that DOJ will seek justice for all victims of crime, no matter their legal status.’
Police at the scene on July 23rd, found a horrific scene in the trailer of this big rig.