Man charged with murder after deadly wreck kills migrant

Carolyn Hileman* | February 18, 2008

SAN ISIDRO, Texas–A man accused of causing the wreck that killed an illegal immigrant he was transporting remained jailed Friday in South Texas on a murder charge. Arturo Vega Cardenas, 22, of Houston, admitted driving a pickup truck crammed with more than a dozen illegal immigrants, the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office said. Authorities say Vega Cardenas crashed early Wednesday after driving off the road in an attempt to escape from U.S. Border Patrol agents. The wreck killed 52-year-old Jose Adolfo Padilla. Vega Cardenas was being held without bond at the Hidalgo County Jail. He also faces federal charges stemming from the wreck. It was unclear if he had an attorney. Investigators think the incident is connected to a human smuggling network, said Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Trevino.

Contributor's website: http://www.thevoice.name

*Content posted by a user may not be completely written by that user. Content from another source is cited in either block quotes, with quotes or with a link to the original material. Content from other sites is posted for commentary and news purposes under fair use. Each user is responsible for their own postings and a particular posting should not be construed as being endorsed by this site or it's owner.