Defendant convicted of motor vehicle homicide and sentenced to 20–22 years

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enforcement

Court records or sentencing documents show Mejia was convicted on those charges and received a 20–22 year prison sentence.

Source summary

The Department of Homeland Security announced that Eswin Mejia, convicted of motor vehicle homicide and flight to avoid arrest in the 2016 drunk-driving death of 21-year-old Sarah Root, was sentenced to 20–22 years in prison on February 2, 2026. DHS credited Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with extraditing Mejia from Honduras in March 2025—the first Honduran extradition to the U.S. for homicide—and noted that Sarah’s Law was added as an amendment to the Laken Riley Act. Secretary Kristi Noem and the department framed the sentencing as the result of a decade-long effort to secure justice for Root’s family.

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Latest fact check

Multiple credible news reports and the Department of Homeland Security press release state that Eswin Mejia was convicted/pleaded (no contest to motor vehicle homicide; guilty to related charges) and was sentenced on Feb. 2, 2026, to a term of 20 to 22 years in prison. The DHS release and local outlets (Omaha World-Herald, KETV, WOWT) all report the 20–22 year sentence and identify motor vehicle homicide and associated flight/failure-to-appear charges. Verdict: True — reporting is accurate that Mejia was convicted on motor vehicle-homicide-related charges and received a 20–22 year sentence on Feb. 2, 2026.

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Timeline

Update · Feb 03, 2026, 11:52 AMTrue
Multiple credible news reports and the Department of Homeland Security press release state that Eswin Mejia was convicted/pleaded (no contest to motor vehicle homicide; guilty to related charges) and was sentenced on Feb. 2, 2026, to a term of 20 to 22 years in prison. The DHS release and local outlets (Omaha World-Herald, KETV, WOWT) all report the 20–22 year sentence and identify motor vehicle homicide and associated flight/failure-to-appear charges. Verdict: True — reporting is accurate that Mejia was convicted on motor vehicle-homicide-related charges and received a 20–22 year sentence on Feb. 2, 2026.
Update · Feb 03, 2026, 11:15 AMTrue
Multiple reputable local news outlets report that Eswin Mejia pleaded/no-contest or was convicted on charges related to motor vehicle homicide (DUI) and a related charge of failure to appear/flight to avoid arrest, and that on Feb. 2, 2026 a Douglas County judge sentenced him to 20–22 years in prison. Several outlets (Omaha World‑Herald, KETV, WOWT, KTIV) note the sentence was imposed as roughly 19–20 years for motor vehicle homicide plus 1–2 years for failure to appear (totaling 20–22 years), with credit for time served and potential parole under Nebraska law. Verdict: True — contemporaneous reporting from multiple reputable local outlets confirms the convictions/pleas and the 20–22 year prison sentence on Feb. 2, 2026.
Original article · Feb 02, 2026
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