Undocumented Immigrant Connected To DUI Crash That Killed Colts' Edwin Jackson Wants Confession Tossed

An undocumented immigrant suspected of causing a drunk driving accident that resulted in the death of Indianapolis Colts linebacker Edwin Jackson and an Uber driver claimed police violated his rights and wanted his confession stricken from the case.

Prosecutors said 37-year-old Manuel Orrego-Savala admitted to operating the vehicle at the time of the crash that killed Jackson and driver Jeffrey Monroe.

But, the suspect’s lawyer believes police ignored his client's rights when they questioned the man without first reading him his Miranda rights — a possible breach of the Fifth Amendment, he says.

Attorney John Tompkins argued that authorities compromised the case because of how an Indiana state trooper handled it, WXIN reported Thursday.

Tomkins, on his client’s behalf, filed a motion to disregard the confession. If passed, then Orrego-Savala’s statement would be inadmissible in court.

"It’s never a waste of time to enforce our constitutional rights" said Tompkins according to the news outlet. "If there’s a question about whether the suspect's constitutional rights were violated, that is what the defense is supposed to do, bring it up to the judge."

When police arrived on the scene, a state trooper said he saw a stumbling man attempting to flee the accident and that’s when he asked the suspect if he had been driving the truck that caused the crash, KTLA reported.

Attorney Jack Crawford, with no connection to the case, said he didn’t find the trooper’s actions to be detrimental and that throwing out the confession wouldn't be the right decision.

"This was all in the nature of a preliminary officer investigation. It’s not protected by the 5th Amendment of the Constitution until the officer identifies the man as a true suspect in the crime," Crawford said.

Authorities said Orrego-Savala entered the country illegally and had been deported twice and that his blood-alcohol level was twice the legal limit during the incident. In addition to a federal immigration charge, he faces four felony charges stemming from the crash.

During a Feb. 6 court hearing, Orrego-Savala denied any connection to the accident.

"I don't know why I'm here. I wasn’t driving that car," he told the judge through an interpreter, according to WDRB.

In the wake of the crash, President Donald Trump took to Twitter and called for Democrats to "get tougher" on immigration policy.