Jurors returned indictments in San Antonio on Wednesday, indicting Homero Zamorano Jr., 46, of Pasadena, Texas, and Christian Martinez, 28, of Palestine, Texas, on one count each of conspiracy to transport undocumented migrants resulting in death; transportation of undocumented migrants leading to death; conspiracy to transport undocumented migrants resulting in serious bodily injury and endangerment of life; and transporting undocumented migrants resulting in serious bodily injury and endangerment of life, according to a Department of Justice news release.
If convicted, the men could face the death penalty on the most serious charges, the DOJ said.
Authorities were able to link Zamorano and Martinez to the operation through surveillance footage and phone communications obtained through a search warrant, the DOJ said.
Juan Claudio D’Luna-Mendez, 23, and Juan Francisco D’Luna-Bilbao, 48, both citizens of Mexico, were also charged with one count each of possession of a firearm while in the U.S. illegally, according to the DOJ. If convicted, the agency says they could face up to 10 years in prison.
CNN has reached out to each man’s lawyers for comment.
D’Luna-Mendez and D’Luna-Bilbao were initially charged the same day the migrants were discovered after officials discovered the truck’s license plate number was registered to an address in San Antonio, CNN previously reported.
While conducting surveillance of the home, police saw both men inside the residence and found a firearm in the console of a truck driven by D’Luna-Bilbao.
Both men are Mexican nationals who were in the U.S. illegally, according to the affidavit.
In addition to the 53 people who died, nearly a dozen others were hospitalized for heatstroke after being trapped in a refrigerated trailer that was found abandoned on the outskirts of San Antonio.
Authorities were alerted to the scene on June 27 after an employee working in a nearby building heard cries for help. When they arrived, authorities found the tractor trailer full of people, some on the ground and in nearby brush, “many of them deceased and some of them incapacitated,” according to the DOJ.
Fire officials said patients at the scene were hot to the touch and suffering from heatstroke and exhaustion. The truck had no visible air conditioning and no signs of water inside, according to San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood.
Temperatures the day the truck was discovered ranged from 90 to 100 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
Elizabeth Wolfe, Nicole Chavez, Amir Vera, Joe Sutton, Amy Simonson, Amanda Moussa, Travis Caldwell, Priscilla Alvarez, Rosalina Nieves, and Raja Razek contributed to this report.
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