A grieving mother came face-to-face with the illegal immigrant truck driver accused of killing her newlywed son and his wife in a horrific highway crash.
Elizabeth Carter fought back tears as she approached Rajinder Kumar, 32, who was seated inside a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement vehicle ahead of his transfer to Oregon to face manslaughter charges.
Rather than lash out at the man accused of causing the deaths of her son, William Micah Carter, 25, and his bride, Jennifer Lynn Lower, 24, the heartbroken mother told Kumar she had been praying for him.
‘Hello Mr. Kumar, my name is Elizabeth Carter; I’m William Micah Carter’s mother,’ she said in an emotional exchange captured on video released by ICE‘s Victims of Immigrant Crime Engagement (VOICE) office.
‘And I wanted you to know that I pray for you and your family, I know you didn’t get up that morning planning to kill two newlyweds. And I know your family is going through something important too.’
The tragic encounter came after Carter and Lower, who had been married for just 16 days, were killed in a devastating collision on an Oregon highway.
The young couple were traveling in a Subaru Outback on November 24, 2025, when Kumar allegedly jackknifed his commercial tractor-trailer across US Highway 20, blocking both lanes of traffic.
Their vehicle slammed into the semi-truck, killing them both at the scene.
Elizabeth Carter fought back tears as she approached Rajinder Kumar, 32, who is accused of killing her newlywed son and his wife in a horrific highway crash
Rather than lash out at the man accused of causing the deaths of her son, William Micah Carter, 25, and his bride, Jennifer Lynn Lower, 24, the heartbroken mother told Kumar she had been praying for him
Kumar was subsequently indicted by a Deschutes County grand jury on two counts of first-degree manslaughter and three counts of recklessly endangering another person.
He has pleaded not guilty.
But the criminal case soon became entangled in a dispute between federal immigration authorities and local officials over Kumar’s custody.
According to immigration and court records cited by Fox News, Kumar entered the United States illegally near Lukeville, Arizona, on November 28, 2022.
Border Patrol agents apprehended the Indian national before he was released into the country under the Biden administration while awaiting immigration proceedings.
He later received federal work authorization and obtained a California commercial driver’s license, allowing him to operate commercial trucks while his immigration case remained unresolved.
After his indictment in Oregon, ICE issued an immigration detainer asking the Deschutes County Jail to notify federal agents before releasing him.
But county corrections officials declined to honor the request and released Kumar on April 2 under Oregon’s sanctuary policies.
The young couple were traveling in a Subaru Outback on Nov. 24, 2025, when Kumar allegedly jackknifed his commercial tractor-trailer across US Highway 20
Federal immigration agents eventually located and arrested him on April 22.
He was taken to the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington, where authorities pursued his removal from the United States.
The federal government has since paused the deportation proceedings to let Oregon prosecutors pursue the criminal case.
ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Seattle confirmed Kumar had been returned to Deschutes County custody to stand trial over the deadly crash.
‘Two Americans lost their lives, and their families deserve accountability,’ acting Field Office Director Julio Hernandez said.
‘ICE worked closely with law enforcement partners to ensure Kumar is returned to state custody to answer for the serious charges against him.’
Hernandez said the coordinated effort would prevent Kumar from avoiding prosecution while supporting the victims’ families.
Kumar’s criminal trial remains pending in Deschutes County Circuit Court, with any federal deportation action postponed until the state proceedings are resolved.
