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GOLDEN, Colorado >> A judge was due today to consider a prosecutor’s motion to reduce a truck driver’s 110-year sentence for an explosive accident that killed four people in suburban Denver.
The conviction of Rogel Aguilera-Mederos, 26, has sparked outrage across the country and among truckers. Around 5 million people have signed an online petition asking for mercy for him. In addition to the prosecutor’s motion to reduce the sentence, Aguilera-Mederos has petitioned Colorado Governor Jared Polis for pardon.
District Attorney Alexis King said in a statement last week that she would seek a 20 to 30 year sentence in the 2019 wreck on Interstate 70 west of Denver – a sentence that reflects a “reasonable outcome” for the behavior of Aguilera mederos.
“The judges found Mr. Aguilera-Mederos knowingly made several active decisions that resulted in the death of four people, serious injury to others, and mass destruction,” said King.
District Court judge Bruce Jones sentenced Aguilera-Mederos to 110 years in prison on December 13 after determining that it was the minimum sentence required by law.
“I will explain that it would not be my punishment if I had the discretion,” the judge said during the hearing.
One of Aguilera-Mederos’ attorneys, Leonard Martinez, said the district attorney’s new requested sentence is inconsistent with similar cases in Colorado and the United States.
“We plan to move forward and keep all options open to get justice for Rogel, including the possibility of a pardon for Governor Polis,” Martinez said.
Colorado law allows penalties for violent crimes to be changed in cases of “unusual and extenuating circumstances,” but those sentences cannot take effect until 119 days after a person has been admitted to prison.
Aguilera-Mederos testified that he was hauling lumber when his trailer’s brakes failed while driving down a steep incline off Interstate 70 in the foothills of Rocky Mountain on April 25, 2019. Triggering a chain reaction wreck and a fireball that consumed vehicles and melted parts of the highway.
He wept as he apologized to the victims’ families when he was sentenced on December 13th.
“When I look at my charges, we’re talking about a murderer who is not me,” he said. “I’ve never thought of hurting anyone in my life.”
Prosecutors argued he should have used an outlier ramp designed for such situations. For his part, Aguilera-Mederos said he was struggling to avoid the traffic and tried to shift gears to slow down.
The accident killed 24-year-old Miguel Angel Lamas Arellano, 67-year-old William Bailey, 61-year-old Doyle Harrison and 69-year-old Stanley Politano. Relatives of the victims helped with his sentencing for at least some time in prison.
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