Justices Decline Appeal in Immigrant Deaths
The Supreme Court declined to consider whether a black truck driver accused in the deaths of 19 illegal immigrants was improperly singled out for a possible death sentence because of his race.
Justices rejected the appeal of Tyrone Williams of Schenectady, N.Y. He is the only one of 14 indicted defendants in the case who faces the death penalty, and the first to face the possible punishment under a federal immigrant smuggling law.
Williams’ trial on 58 counts of harboring and transporting illegal immigrants is scheduled to start today in Houston.
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