Suspect in crash that killed former Cardinals player was in US illegally, had been deported twice

Shane Dale, Matt McKinney
10:58 AM, Feb 5, 2018
2:52 PM, Feb 5, 2018
sports | arizona sports

A suspected drunk driver struck, and killed former Arizona Cardinals linebacker Edwin Jackson.

Copyright 2018 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

The suspect in a crash that killed two people, including former Arizona Cardinals linebacker Edwin Jackson, early Sunday morning is in the United States illegally, police said.

The crash happened around 4 a.m. Sunday, along I-70 near Holt Road in Indianapolis. According to a release from Indiana State Police, Edwin Jackson was the passenger in an Uber vehicle when he got sick. The driver, 54-year-old Jeffrey Monroe, pulled over on I-70 to help him. 

Both men were outside the car when a black Ford F-150 drove into the shoulder and struck the car. Jackson and Monroe were pronounced dead at the scene. 

The suspected driver of the F-150, Manuel Orrego-Savala, 37, first fled the scene on foot but was caught. Police reported they believe he was intoxicated and driving without a license. 

On Monday, ISP detectives learned that Orrego-Savala first gave police a false name. Orrego-Savala is a citizen of Guatemala by birth, not Mexico as Marion County Jail records show. Orrego-Savala is in the United States illegally, and has been previously deported in 2007 and 2009, police say.

Federal immigration officials have placed a hold on him. 

Jackson played in the Cardinals' preseason games in 2015. He was later claimed by the Indianapolis Colts, where he played from 2015-17. He was 26 years old.

The Cardinals, along with former coach Bruce Arians and current and former Cards players, expressed sadness at the news on social media Sunday.

 

Copyright 2018 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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