|
 Carlos Hernandez-Palma, 35, was sentenced to seven years and
Fernando Armenta-Romero, 43, received a sentence of four years and
nine months after pleading guilty to two smuggling counts each, the
U.S. Attorney's Office in San Diego said in a statement.
The victim, Jaqueline Capistran-Ochoa, 32, and her husband, Baltazar
Razo-Barreto, agreed on Dec. 26, 2013, to pay $6,000 each to be
smuggled into the United States from Mexico.
But the short, easy trip they were promised turned into long days of
mountainous hiking. Capistran-Ochoa became increasingly weak and
lost consciousness on the third night, according to court documents.
 The smugglers refused Razo-Barreto's pleas that they call for help,
saying they couldn't use their cell phones. Eventually, they
promised to stay with the woman while her husband went for help.
They abandoned her hours later – although they said she was still
alive – without ever seeking help, according to court records.
Instead, they called Armenta-Romero's brother to pick them up,
according to the complaint.
Razo-Barreto hiked out of the wilderness and called authorities. A
search and rescue team with the U.S. Border Patrol looked for
Capistran-Ochoa in the Otay Mountain Wilderness for a day before
finding her body in an area known as the Olive Grove.
[to top of second column] |
She had died of diabetes complications and hypothermia, according to
court records. Razo-Barreto and the couple's three surviving
children were in court for the sentencing, the Attorney's Office
said in a statement.
"These smugglers showed a profound lack of humanity when they
refused to call for help and left a dying woman alone in the middle
of nowhere," U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy said.
(Editing by Curtis Skinner and Paul Tait)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
