A man suspected in a tragic human smuggling incident involving 53 migrant deaths is seeking to have his charges dismissed, arguing that government missteps led to the disaster.
Background: Homero Zamorano Jr., suspected of driving the truck where the migrants died of heat exhaustion in San Antonio, has filed a motion to dismiss based on claims of "outrageous government conduct."
The details: In April 2022, two months before the June tragedy, border agents flagged a trailer carrying 98 migrants at a checkpoint. The driver linked them to a man named Christian Martinez.
- Authorities had two phone numbers for Martinez, obtained shortly after the April incident, but didn't act promptly, according to Zamorano's lawyers.
- The same trailer was registered to the address tied to other smuggling cases, but the operation continued unreleased, reported KENS5.
The argument: Zamorano's legal team states authorities had sufficient information to prevent the tragedy and claims due process violations.
For various alleged failures, Zamorano's lawyers are asking the court not only to throw out the charges but to suppress all evidence against him. The outcome of this motion is yet to be decided.