Second Man Charged in Fatal Immigrant Smuggling Case

A federal grand jury has indicted a second man for allegedly helping smuggle undocumented immigrants in a semi truck trailer in July — an incident that left ten dead and dozens more with life-threatening injuries.

The indictment charges Pedro Silva Segura, a 47-year old undocumented immigrant living in Laredo, with three counts of "conspiracy to transport and harbor undocumented immigrants for financial gain" resulting in death or serious bodily injury. They're similar to the charges the same court handed 60-year-old James Matthew Bradley Jr., the man responsible for driving the semi truck that may have carried up to 200 people at one point in the Laredo-to-San Antonio journey.

When San Antonio Police Department officers found Bradley's truck in a Walmart parking lot on July 23, it only held 39 passengers in the unventilated, windowless cargo trailer — ten of which were dead. Bradley claimed he had no idea what was in his trailer, despite the victim's accounts of banging and yelling throughout the trip.

It's unclear what role Silva allegedly played in the operation. He's still awaiting transfer from Laredo to San Antonio to appear in federal court.

Bradley, who was arrested at the scene, originally faced the death penalty — but Wednesday's indictment drops the punishment. Instead, Bradley faces life in prison if convicted. It's still unknown, however, if Silva will end up with life imprisonment or the death sentence if convicted.