The US driver of a truck packed with immigrants, 10 of whom died due to sweltering Texas heat in July, has pleaded guilty to human smuggling charges and is facing up to life in prison, prosecutors say.
James Bradley Jr pleaded guilty on Monday in federal court in San Antonio to one conspiracy count and a count of transporting the immigrants resulting in death, the US Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas said in a statement.
A sentencing hearing for the 61-year-old will be held in January, the office said. Lawyers for Bradley, who has been in custody since his arrest, declined to comment.
Bradley told investigators he was caught by surprise when he opened the semi-trailer's doors outside a Walmart store in San Antonio on July 23, only to be knocked down by a group of "Spanish" people pouring out of the rig, according to the criminal complaint filed in the case.
Many people aboard ran after he opened the doors, but police found 39 people in and around the trailer, many suffering from dehydration and heat stroke.
Eight people were pronounced dead on the scene and two others died at hospitals. Those who died were from Mexico and Guatemala and included four people between the ages of 14 to 17, officials said.
Prosecutors said Bradley knew he was transporting human cargo from the border city of Laredo to San Antonio and acted with careless indifference to human life. Those aboard the truck told authorities that perhaps as many as 200 people were packed in the trailer, prosecutors said.
The case brought new attention to the dangers of human trafficking as US President Donald Trump's administration pledges to crack down on illegal immigration.
