Deported Guatemalan Man Who Killed NFL Player Faces 20 Years in Prison

A federal court in Indianapolis sentenced the twice-deported Guatemalan man who killed NFL linebacker Edwin Jackson to 42-months in prison for illegal re-entry after removal. The Guatemalan also received 16 years in state prison for his conviction related to the fatal drunk driving crash.

“Mr. Orrego-Zavala re-entered the country illegally for the second time before he put the public safety of Indianapolis at risk and took the lives of two innocent men on Feb. 4, 2018,” U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana Josh Minkler said in a written statement. “This prosecution represents our office’s commitment to charging aliens that illegally re-enter the country, especially if they are a risk to public safety or there is a criminal history present.”

Court records show that courts in California convicted Orrego-Zavala on two drug felonies prior to his removal from the United States the first time in 2007. Orrego-Zavala was found in the United States again in May 2009 and subsequently removed a second time by immigration officers, officials stated.

In February 2018, Colts Linebacker Edwin Jackson and his driver were killed by a drunk driving previously deported illegal alien, Breitbart Texas reported at the time. Police arrested a man who identified himself as Alex Cabrera Gonsales, a 37-year-old Mexican national, after he allegedly crashed his black Ford F-150 into a car parked along Interstate 70 near Indianapolis, according to a statement obtained from the Indiana State Police. 

Detectives discovered the driver gave police false information about his identity. Investigators said the man’s name is actually Manuel Orrego-Savala, a citizen of Guatemala. A background investigation revealed Orrego-Savala has been deported from the United States on two previous occasions. The first deportation occurred in 2007. This was followed by a second deportation in 2009.

In June of that year, Orrego-Savala pleaded guilty to driving drunk and causing the death of the two men, Breitbart’s Katherine Rodriguez reported. The twice-deported illegal alien initially faced four counts. A plea agreement dropped the two charges of failure to remain at the scene of the crash.

A judge in the Marion County, Indiana, courthouse sentenced Orrego-Savala to 16 years in state prison for killing the Indianapolis Colts player and his driver.

Following a conviction in federal court for illegal re-entry after removal, District Court Judge Magnus Stinson sentenced the twice-deported Guatemalan national to 42 months in federal prison. Judge Stinson ordered that the federal sentence be served consecutively to the 16-year state prison term.

“This individual’s criminal and immigration histories clearly demonstrate a total disregard for U.S. law,” Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge James M. Gibbons said in a written statement. “Let this sentence serve as a reminder that Homeland Security Investigations prioritizes the prosecution of those who are intent on disrespecting our laws and putting the community at risk.”