Trucker Rogel Aguilera-Mederos’ Sentence Reduced From 110 To 10 Years After Public Outcry

Colorado Governor Jared Polis has commuted the condemnation of motortruck operator Rogel Aguilera-Mederos to 10 years with eligibility for parole successful five. The 26-year-old was originally given a 110 twelvemonth condemnation for a 2019 clang that killed 4 people, but had his condemnation reduced aft nationalist outcry implicit Colorado's mandatory sentencing laws. 

Polis announced the quality Thursday on with 2 different commutations, 15 idiosyncratic pardons, and an enforcement bid granting 1,351 pardons for those convicted of possessing 2 ounces oregon little of marijuana. In Aguilera-Menderos' commutation letter, Polis said helium granted the commutation due to the fact that the sentencing was disproportionate for a "tragic but unintentional act." 

"The magnitude of your 110-year condemnation is simply not commensurate with your actions, nor with penalties handed down to others for akin crimes," Polis said successful the letter. "There is an urgency to remedy this unjust condemnation and reconstruct assurance successful the uniformity and fairness of our transgression justness system, and consequently I person chosen to commute your condemnation now."

Aguilera-Mederos said the clang occurred aft his brakes malfunctioned portion helium was driving connected Colorado's Interstate 70. But prosecutors argued that the trucker missed a runaway motortruck ramp that could person prevented the crash. Dozens were injured, and 4 — Miguel Angel Lamas Arellano, 24; Doyle Harrison, 61; Stanley Politano, 69;  and William Bailey, 67 — were killed, starring to Aguilera-Mederos' 27 charges.

Local constabulary said nary intoxicant oregon drugs were progressive successful the crash, according to CBS Denver.

During sentencing, Aguilera-Mederos said that helium regretted the clang and that helium wished helium had died alternatively of the different victims. 

"My beingness is not a blessed life," Aguilera-Mederos told CBS Denver. "It is simply a precise bittersweet beingness due to the fact that 4 radical died."

Because of minimum sentencing laws successful Colorado, Aguilera-Mederos was sentenced to 110 years successful situation for the charges, which included vehicular homicide. But his sentencing received nationalist attention, with implicit 3 cardinal radical signing a petition asking for him to person clemency.

"We judge justness has yet travel to airy for Rogel," Aguilera-Mederos' lawyer James Colgan said connected Thursday. "Unfortunately, you know, there's people, there's victims successful this lawsuit and we consciousness for those radical and their families. But arsenic it relates to Rogel and the justness strategy that, that he's had to woody with, we consciousness grateful."

Polis said that helium hoped Aguilera-Mederos' lawsuit would bring much attraction to mandatory minimum and sentencing laws and encouraged the antheral to question "restorative justness opportunities" for the families and the assemblage helium impacted. He besides noted that a household subordinate of Aguilera-Mederos works successful the governor's office, but said helium wasn't progressive and had nary cognition of the trucker's commutation. 

"You person wondered wherefore your beingness was spared erstwhile different lives were taken," Polis wrote to Aguilera-Mederos connected Thursday. "You volition conflict with this load of this lawsuit for the remainder of your life, but ne'er hide that due to the fact that of this event, countless others volition conflict with the nonaccomplishment of their loved ones oregon injuries arsenic well. And you volition service your conscionable sentence."

Kim Kardashian West, who had advocated for his condemnation to beryllium commuted, celebrated the quality of Aguilera-Mederos' commutation connected Twitter. 

"This lawsuit was a wide illustration of wherefore mandatory minimums don't enactment and request to beryllium abolished. I'm grateful to Governor Polis for his empathy and enactment connected this case," Kardashian West tweeted. "While his caller condemnation is 10 years, helium volition present person an accidental to travel location successful 5 years and beryllium with his lad and wife."

Michael Roppolo contributed reporting.