In an emotional video, a grieving mother offered compassion to the man accused of killing her son and daughter-in-law.
Footage released by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Victims of Immigrant Crime Engagement (VOICE) office shows Elizabeth Carter speaking with Rajinder Kumar, the Indian national accused of causing the Oregon crash that killed her son, William Carter, and his newlywed wife in November 2025.
“Hello, Mr. Kumar. My name is Elizabeth Carter; I’m William Micah Carter’s mother,” she said, visibly fighting back tears as Kumar appeared reluctant to meet her eyes. “I wanted you to know that I pray for you and your family. I know you didn’t wake up that morning planning to kill two newlyweds, and I know your family is going through something important too.”
Self-identified “lifelong Democrat” Elizabeth Carter, left, testified that she is “ashamed” of her party’s handling of immigration after her son, William Carter, and daughter-in-law, Jennifer Lower, right, were killed in a crash involving an illegal immigrant semi-truck driver. (Screenshot from House Judiciary GOP official YouTube livestream; DHS)
The exchange occurred earlier this month at the passenger-side window of an ICE vehicle as federal agents prepared to return Kumar to Oregon custody for prosecution. He faces two counts of first-degree manslaughter and three counts of recklessly endangering another person in Deschutes County.
Prosecutors accuse Kumar of killing William Micah Carter, 25, and Jennifer Lynn Lower, 24. The couple had been married for only 16 days.
The fatal wreck happened on Nov. 24, 2025, when Kumar allegedly jackknifed his commercial tractor-trailer across U.S. Highway 20, blocking both lanes. The couple’s Subaru Outback struck the truck, killing both occupants at the scene.
William Micah Carter and Jennifer Lynn Lower died in an Oregon crash just 16 days after their wedding, according to the Department of Homeland Security. (Department of Homeland Security)
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Cranford Moms Face Teen Accused of Stalking and Running Down Their Daughters
A Deschutes County grand jury later indicted Kumar. Although he pleaded not guilty in state court, his release triggered a dispute between federal immigration authorities and local officials.
Court and immigration records indicate that Kumar entered the United States unlawfully near Lukeville, Arizona, on Nov. 28, 2022. U.S. Border Patrol apprehended him and later released him into the country under the Biden administration while he awaited removal proceedings. He subsequently received federal work authorization and obtained a commercial driver’s license from California.
ICE issued an immigration detainer for Rajinder Kumar, the illegal immigrant accused in a fatal crash that killed two people. (Reuters; Department of Homeland Security)
After Kumar’s Oregon indictment, ICE lodged a detainer asking the Deschutes County Jail to notify federal agents before releasing him. County corrections officials declined to honor the request on April 2 and released Kumar into the community under Oregon’s sanctuary policies.
On April 22, agents with ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations in Seattle located and arrested Kumar in connection with his immigration case. He was held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington, as federal removal proceedings continued.
ICE ERO Seattle said it later returned Kumar to Deschutes County authorities so he could face a state trial on the felony manslaughter charges before any deportation order is carried out.
“Two Americans lost their lives, and their families deserve accountability,” ICE ERO Seattle acting Field Office Director Julio Hernandez said. “ICE worked closely with law enforcement partners to ensure Kumar was returned to state custody to answer for the serious charges against him.”
“This coordinated action protects the public, supports the victims’ families, and ensures that an individual accused of these crimes does not evade justice.”
Department of Homeland Security officials said federal deportation proceedings remain on hold while Oregon prosecutors pursue the criminal case. Trial proceedings are pending in Deschutes County Circuit Court.
