Previously Deported Illegal Alien Sentenced for Fatal 2010 Crash

Israel Espinosa pleaded guilty to felony reckless homicide in the drunk driving crash that killed 16-year-old Megan Ratliff.

INDIANAPOLIS — A previously deported illegal alien, who was on the run for 15 years, has been sentenced for killing a 16-year-old.

On Thursday, Israel Espinosa learned of his two-year prison sentence in Marion Superior Court 32 after he pleaded guilty to felony reckless homicide. The following charges pending against Espinosa were then dismissed by the state:

Failure to stop after a crash
Failure to stop at an accident
Operating a vehicle while never licensed

Megan Ratliff was killed in the November 2010 crash in Indianapolis. She was a passenger in an SUV that was struck from behind by Espinosa in a Nissan Altima. Police said he was driving drunk and ran a traffic light before hitting the SUV, causing it to flip over.

Espinosa was arrested in Oklahoma on Sept. 26, 2025. He had been wanted since Nov. 27, 2010.

According to the FBI, Espinosa reentered the United States without legal permission after previously being deported.