Illegal immigrant pleads guilty to murder charges in fatal wreck that killed two Huntsville teens

Published: Monday, August 30, 2010, 10:15 AM Updated: Monday, August 30, 2010, 10:31 AM

The Huntsville Times

Felix Ortega

HUNTSVILLE, AL -- Felix Ortega, an illegal immigrant accused of killing two teens is a car crash last year, pleaded guilty this morning to murder.

Judge Dennis O'Dell sentenced Ortega, 26, to 15 years in jail as part of a plea agreement.

The charges stem from the April 17, 2009, car crash deaths of Grissom High School sophomore Leigh Anna Jimmerson, 16, and her boyfriend, Tad Mattle, 19, a 2008 Grissom graduate.

Prosecutors say Ortega had a blood alcohol level more than three times the legal limit at the time of the crash, which took place at the intersection of Airport Road and Whitesburg Drive.

Ortega entered a not guilty plea on June 10, but his attorneys reached an agreement with prosecutors that led to a guilty plea and 15-year sentence.

http://blog.al.com/breaking/2010/08/ill ... guilt.html