Truck driver detained by ICE pleaded not guilty to manslaughter in crash that killed newlyweds

A truck driver detained by ICE after a fatal crash that killed two newlyweds in Oregon has pleaded not guilty to two counts of manslaughter. 

32-year-old truck driver Rajinder Kumar pleaded not guilty to two counts of first degree manslaughter on Monday, March 30th in a Deschutes County, Oregon court. 

According to KTVZ21, Judge Wells Ashby also scheduled a readiness hearing on January 5th, 2027, and a nine-day jury trial for January 19th, 2027. Kumar is also facing three counts of misdemeanor reckless endangering for the November 2025 crash. 

The DHS says that Kumar left India and entered the country illegally at the Arizona border three years before the crash that killed two newlyweds. His bail has been reduced from $500,000 to $250,000.