QuickTake:

Deschutes County authorities have issued an arrest warrant for Rajinder Kumar, who is accused of causing the death of a Springfield couple, William “Billy” Carter and Jennifer Lynn Lower.

A new arrest warrant seeks to force a truck driver with a pending deportation order to return to Oregon and face manslaughter charges in connection with the deaths of a newlywed couple set to begin their post-honeymoon life together in Springfield.

But whether the truck driver, Rajinder Kumar, ever appears again in an Oregon courtroom remains uncertain. He’s been in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody since April 22.

“[I]t is up to federal authorities whether he will be returned,” Deschutes County District Attorney Steve Gunnels said in an email Wednesday.

William “Billy” Carter, 25, and his wife, Jennifer Lynn Lower, 24, died when their Subaru collided Nov. 24 with a jackknifed truck stopped on Highway 20 near Bend. Married for just 16 days, they had their car loaded with belongings when the crash occurred.

William “Billy” Carter and Jennifer Lynn Lower on their wedding day, Nov. 8, 2025, outside the Mormon Temple in Portland. Credit: Elizabeth Carter

Prosecutors allege Kumar “unlawfully and recklessly” caused their deaths. Few details have been officially released about what took place just before the collision. But Oregon State Police soon after the crash listed dark conditions and “a lack of active emergency warning equipment” as primary factors in the crash.

Elizabeth Carter, mother of Billy Carter, said Wednesday prosecutors have told her Kumar failed to call 911 and also did not put out any cones or flares to illuminate for oncoming traffic the danger posed by the jackknifed truck.

But she still has questions about what took place, she said.

“There’s really nothing in this that I think is obvious,” Carter said Wednesday, Oct. 7.

She and her husband, Dennis, have pushed for Kumar to appear in court. They also recently spoke at a Washington, D.C., congressional hearing to express their concerns about the process by which Kumar was in the country and able to obtain a commercial driver’s license.

“I’d like to hear from the man himself,” Carter told Lookout Eugene-Springfield. “I hope that the trial is January 19, like we expect, and that I can get honest answers about what happened the night I lost my son and the love of his life.”

Elizabeth Carter testified Sept. 15 at a House Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington, D.C. about the deaths of her son and his wife. Credit: Courtesy / House Judiciary Committee

ICE response

Kumar, about a month before being taken into custody by ICE, had pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree manslaughter and three counts of recklessly endangering another person.

But Kumar has been held by ICE since April 22, days after his release from Deschutes County jail on bond. His criminal trial remains scheduled for January in Deschutes County Circuit Court.

“We sought an arrest warrant in order to try to make the defendant available for trial,” Gunnels said Wednesday. 

Deschutes County Circuit Judge Wells Ashby issued the order Friday for a “Nationwide Warrant” to arrest Kumar. The order also set security for Kumar at $1 million, which means 10%, or $100,000 would be required for his release. Court records show the arrest warrant became “active” Wednesday.

“The warrant is visible in all law enforcement databases,” Gunnels said.

Kumar apparently remains in ICE custody despite a pending deportation order, at least according to a statement provided to Lookout by an ICE spokesperson Wednesday.

“On April 22, 2026, ICE arrested Rajinder Kumar, a criminal illegal alien from India, charged with two counts of voluntary manslaughter and three counts of crimes against person,” the statement said.

“Kumar entered the U.S. illegally near Lukeville, Arizona on November 28, 2022 and was RELEASED into the country by the Biden administration. He received due process and was ordered removed on July 1, 2026. He remains in ICE custody pending removal. This administration will not ignore the rule of law,” the spokesperson said.

The ICE spokesperson did not directly answer a question about whether ICE would consider keeping Kumar in the United States to face the criminal charges in Oregon.

Testimony before Congress

Elizabeth Carter said she’s “incredibly hopeful” about Kumar’s return after making inroads with some leaders in the federal government.

She said her husband reached out via social media to Marcus Coleman, father to Dalilah Coleman, who at 5 years old sustained what have been described as life-altering injuries after a collision involving a semi rig operated by a driver in the country unlawfully.

This led Carter and her husband to reach out to a contact of Coleman’s, and they were invited to speak in Washington, D.C., Elizabeth Carter said.

In her Sept. 15 testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, Carter described herself as a “lifelong Democrat,” but said she was “ashamed of what my party is doing.” 

Referring to information that Kumar was allowed into the U.S. by immigration authorities rather than being immediately forced to leave, Carter said: “This would not have happened if instead of catching-and-releasing, Mr. Kumar was asked to go through the proper legal process.”

About her family’s efforts to have Kumar stand trial, Carter referred to Oregon’s sanctuary laws as being a hindrance: “It has been my experience that getting straight answers when your federal government and your state government disagree and are prohibited by laws from talking to each other is nearly impossible. People born in our country deserve a fair trial if their life is lost, and having to fight and beg for that has been a great injustice and left me feeling betrayed by my government.”