LUBBOCK, Texas — A woman who previously pleaded guilty to Transportation of an Illegal Alien Resulting in Death in connection to a deadly 2022 Lynn County crash, Raquel Delgado Chavez, 39, was sentenced to 16 years in federal prison on Thursday, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton announced.
EverythingLubbock.com previously reported authorities were called to a single-vehicle rollover near US 380 and FM 179 in Lynn County. Court records said a man was ejected from the pickup truck and pronounced dead at the scene.
“He had blunt force injuries of the head, neck, torso, and extremities, as well as multiple rib fractures,” a press release from the USAO stated.
No one else was in the area at the time, according to court records. The Lynn County Sheriff’s Office was later called for two people walking on the highway. A deputy found a man and woman with injuries, and they were both taken to the hospital, court records said.
Chavez told authorities she called a Mexican phone number and was given directions to a truck in El Paso. The passengers were already inside when she got there. Chavez said she did not know the passengers, but knew she was supposed to take them to Dallas.
“She also admitted she knew the passengers were illegal aliens,” the USAO said.
The press release said Chavez was driving the truck and moved over on the highway to let a vehicle pass when they crashed. According to court records, Chavez told authorities she ran from the scene because she saw a man was pinned under the vehicle and she was scared.
