Eswin Mejia, a Honduran national extradited from Honduras in March 2025, has been sentenced to 20–22 years in prison for a 2016 drunk-driving crash that killed 21‑year‑old Sarah Root in Omaha, Nebraska. Mejia was convicted of motor vehicle homicide and flight to avoid arrest after fleeing the U.S. while released on bond and being placed on ICE’s "Most Wanted" list. The extradition followed a reaffirmation of the long-standing U.S.–Honduras extradition treaty and was described by Honduran officials as the country’s first extradition to the U.S. for homicide. The case prompted legislative activity in Congress, including an amendment known as "Sarah’s Law" added to the Laken Riley Act.
Extradited Honduran Sentenced 20–22 Years For 2016 Drunk-Driving Death Of 21-Year-Old
Homeland Security Investigations agents are pictured in Honduras during the extradition of Eswin Mejia to the United States last year.(Fox News)
Eswin Mejia, a Honduran national who fled the United States after a 2016 drunk-driving crash that killed 21-year-old Sarah Root, was sentenced to 20 to 22 years in prison following convictions for motor vehicle homicide and flight to avoid arrest, the Department of Homeland Security announced.
Prosecutors say Mejia ran a red light in Omaha, Nebraska, in January 2016 and struck Root’s vehicle. Root, an Iowa native, later died of her injuries at a hospital. Mejia was initially detained and charged but left the country after being released on bond. U.S. authorities subsequently placed him on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)’s "Most Wanted" list as they sought his return.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem hailed the conviction.
Extradition From Honduras
In March 2025, U.S. officials announced that Mejia had been extradited from Honduras after the two countries reaffirmed a long-standing extradition treaty. Honduran authorities said it was the first time the country had extradited someone to the United States on a homicide charge. The transfer allowed U.S. prosecutors to bring Mejia to trial and secure the sentence announced by DHS.
Background And Controversy
Mejia was first encountered by U.S. border agents in May 2013 at Nogales, Arizona, where he was processed as an unaccompanied minor and later placed with a relative in Omaha in 2014. After the 2016 crash, ICE said it had encountered Mejia "just once" and did not file a detainer before he left the country; ICE had earlier characterized him as not an "enforcement priority," a designation that drew public scrutiny after his flight.
Reactions
"The criminal illegal alien who stole Sarah Root’s life was just convicted to 21 years. Nothing will bring her back, but I am glad to see some justice for Sarah’s family," said Kristi Noem in a statement released by DHS, thanking investigators and interagency partners for securing the extradition.
Sen. Joni Ernst (R‑Iowa), who advocated for the family's cause in Congress, praised the outcome and noted that legislative measures inspired by the case—often called "Sarah’s Law"—were added as an amendment to the Laken Riley Act.
The Department of Homeland Security publicly announced the sentence. Early coverage of the case included reporting contributions from Louis Casiano of Fox News.
Help us improve.
