Man accused in former Cardinals player’s death was held in Arizona
Feb 7, 2018, 9:49 AM | Updated: 10:13 am
(Indiana State Police via AP)
PHOENIX — An illegal immigrant who allegedly killed a former Arizona Cardinals player in a drunk-driving incident was detained at least twice in Arizona, records showed.
Manuel Orrego-Savala, 37, was allegedly drunk behind the wheel when he killed former Cardinals player Edwin Jackson and an Uber driver on Sunday in Indianapolis.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement said 37-year-old Manuel Orrego-Savala was held in the Eloy Detention Center in 2006 and 2009.
On both occasions, Orrego-Savala was arrested in the San Francisco area for being in the country illegally. He was deported to Guatemala following each Arizona detention.
ICE also said Orrego-Savala was convicted of driving under the influence in 2005 and had other misdemeanor convictions and arrests in California and Indiana.
Police said Jackson, who grew up in Atlanta, and Uber driver Jeffrey Monroe, 54, were standing outside Monroe’s car along Interstate 70 after Jackson became ill while Monroe was transporting him for the ride-hailing company.
Orrego-Savala was apprehended as he allegedly tried to walk away from the scene. He also gave police a fake name.
A breath test administered at the crash scene found that Orrego-Savala’s blood-alcohol content was 0.239 percent, or nearly three times Indiana’s legal limit of 0.08 percent, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Jackson was signed as an undrafted rookie out of Georgia Southern University by the Cardinals in 2015. He spent the preseason in Arizona before being released.
He was signed in December 2015 to the Colts’ practice squad and didn’t appear in a game as a rookie. He burst onto the scene last year, recording 66 tackles and two sacks.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.