An illegal immigrant has been charged in a fatal car accident that killed a New Orleans journalist, an incident Gov. Jeff Landry said "never should have happened."
Jorge Martinez-Sanchez, 29, allegedly hit and killed 48-year-old Mark Deane, a WGNO news producer, who was on his motorcycle.
The driver struck Deane's Yamaha, sending him and the vehicle airborne. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Rest well Mark Deane. You were such a good Brother! Our family @WGNOtv is hurting💔 pic.twitter.com/uifTzAwSOH
— LBJ📺📻 (@lbjnola) August 23, 2024
During a hearing on Tuesday, August 27, Orleans Parish Magistrate Judge Juana Lombard says she rarely holds a defendant without bond, but she agreed with state attorneys that 29-year-old Jorge Sanchez-Martinez is a flight risk.
Sanchez-Martinez was booked into Orleans Parish Jail on charges of negligent homicide, reckless operation of a vehicle and not being a licensed driver.
State attorneys claim evidence shows Sanchez-Martinez was driving at such a high rate of speed that he couldn’t stop after hitting 48-year-old Mark Deane, a longtime WGNO employee, who was on his motorcycle, heading east on the Crescent City Connection.
As a result, the state says Sanchez-Martinez crashed into two more vehicles before crashing into the guardrails. [...]
State attorneys had asked that Sanchez-Martinez be held without bond, saying he was a flight risk because he lives in Louisiana illegally.
They say aside from not having a license, Sanchez-Martinez also didn’t have an ID and that he applied for a visitor visa in 2019 but was denied. (WGNO)
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill called the news “heartbreaking.”
"Heartbreaking!" she wrote. "The person responsible for this horrific crash, 29-year-old Jorge Martinez-Sanchez, is an illegal alien. Our office is prosecuting the case and has secured detention without bond. Martinez-Sanchez has been arrested for negligent homicide, reckless operation, and driving without a license. I’m praying for the family, friends, and co-workers of Mark Deane."
Landry, meanwhile, pledged to "fight back against the radical immigration policies of the Harris/Biden Administration that allowed for this tragedy to occur."
Sharon and I are saddened to hear about the tragic loss of WGNO producer, Mark Deane. It never should have happened.
— Governor Jeff Landry (@LAGovJeffLandry) August 27, 2024
Our Administration will continue to fight back against the radical immigration policies of the Harris/Biden Administration that allowed for this tragedy to…