[bloodrayne]

Woman Describes Deadly Truck Smuggling

'You got to let them out,' she told driver

Tyrone Williams, who allegedly drove the truck, is set to go to trial in January.

Houston, Texas -- A woman who was riding in the cab of a sweltering tractor-trailer during the nation's deadliest known smuggling attempt told jurors Friday she begged the driver to free the illegal immigrants locked inside the vehicle.

"They were banging on the trailer. I told the driver, 'You got to let them out,"' Fatima Holloway testified at the trial of three people who allegedly were members of the smuggling ring.

Seventeen immigrants died in the nearly airless trailer that was abandoned in May 2003 at a truck stop near Victoria, about 100 miles southwest of Houston. Two immigrants died later.

Authorities estimated the temperature inside the trailer reached 173 degrees.

Each defendant could get up to life in prison if convicted of harboring and transporting illegal immigrants. Defense attorneys have said the three had minimal involvement in the attempt to take more than 70 immigrants from south Texas to Houston.

Tyrone Williams, the man who allegedly drove the truck carrying the immigrants, is scheduled to go on trial in January. He could face the death penalty, if convicted.

Holloway, 30, has pleaded guilty in the case. She said she didn't realize Williams was going to use his trailer to smuggle immigrants until they were loaded at a secluded location.

She said Williams stopped his truck twice but didn't let the immigrants out, even after they started yelling about "el nino," the boy, and sticking their hands out of holes they had punched through in the back. One of the victims was a 5-year-old boy.

Williams "was just trying to get rid of them," Holloway said. "He was just concerned about his truck."

The trial of another defendant is on hold. Five others previously pleaded guilty. Four were arrested in Mexico and face trial there.