SAN ANTONIO – A judge on Wednesday denied bond for a man accused in the deadly tractor-trailer incident on the city’s Southwest Side in June that resulted in the deaths of 53 people.
The motion was signed by United States Magistrate Judge Henry J. Bemporad in San Antonio.
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Attorneys for Christian Martinez asked for home confinement due to health issues.
The judge denied the request but said there would be “reconsideration should there become additional information regarding Defendant’s health status or ability to travel to Court.”
Martinez pleaded not in federal court in early July.
According to a federal indictment, Martinez, 28, and Homero Zamorano Jr., 46, 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.
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, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas said.
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.