Illegal Immigrant Indicted for Murder in Nun’s Death
Emily Babay, Washington Examiner, September 8, 2010
The illegal immigrant accused of killing a Benedictine nun in a drunken driving crash in Prince William County has been indicted for murder.
Carlos A. Martinelly Montano, 23, now faces a charge of felony murder, court records show, for the Aug. 1 crash that killed Sister Denise Mosier, 66.
Authorities allege that Montano was drunk when a Subaru Outback he was driving struck a guardrail then collided head-on with a car carrying Mosier and two other nuns on Bristow Road near Wright Lane.
Montano was initially charged with involuntary manslaughter, drunken driving, and driving on a revoked license.
Sisters Charlotte Lange, 75, and Connie Ruth Lupton, 70, were seriously injured in the crash.
The grand jury also indicted Montano with driving with a revoked license and maiming resulting from drunken driving.
He could receive up to 40 years in prison.
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“The Benedictine Sisters acknowledge that Carlos Martinelly Montano must be served due justice for his actions,” Sister Cecilia Dwyer said. “We trust that the courts will be moderate and just in the handling of his case.”
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When he was charged in the Aug. 1 crash, Montano had two previous DUI convictions. He had been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but was released pending a deportation hearing.
This week, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell told the state Department of Motor Vehicles to stop accepting a federally issued work authorization card as proof of legal status.
Montano had received the employment authorization card in January 2009, months after deportation proceedings had begun for his second DUI offense. Authorities say he used the card to show his legal status when applying for a Virginia ID.
Corey Stewart, chairman of the county board of supervisors, has asked Congress to subpoena federal immigration records to find out how many illegal immigrants were released after arrest.
