Governor Polis reduces sentence for Rogel Aguilera-Mederos to 10 years
DENVER — After more than five million people signed a petition asking for a reduced sentence or release, Governor Jared Polis has reduced the sentence for Rogel Aguilera-Mederos from 110 years to 10 years.
The 26-year-old was sentenced on December 13 to 110 years in prison after he was convicted for causing a large crash that killed four people and hurt six others on Interstate 70 west of Denver in April of 2019. The Denver Post reported the district court judge wasn’t allowed to give a lesser sentence to Aguilera-Mederos because of mandatory minimum sentencing laws.
You can read the governor's letter to Aguilera-Mederos here.
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Immediately following the news of his sentencing, an online petition started asking Polis to grant him clemency or offer commutation for time served. Then the week of December 20, two different rallies were held at the Colorado Capitol building asking for the same thing.
At the one on Dec. 22, Aguilera-Mederos' mother, Oslaida Mederos, spoke to supporters through tears and begged to see her son again.
“Please help me," she said in Spanish. "I want to see my son.”
"I will die if I don't see my son soon," Oslaida Mederos added.
State lawmakers also spoke in support of Aguilera-Mederos saying his long sentence adds to the tragedy of the whole incident.
Aguilera-Mederos testified that the brakes on his semitrailer failed before he crashed into stopped vehicles on I-70. Prosecutors argued he could have used one of several runway ramps as his truck came down from the mountains. Investigators said he was traveling at least 85 miles per hour.
Those killed were Miguel Angel Lamas Arellano, 24; William Bailey, 67; Doyle Harrison, 61; and Stanley Politano, 69.
Aguilera-Mederos spoke through tears at his sentencing asking the families of victims for forgiveness.
“I am not a criminal,” he said. “I am not a murderer. I am not a killer. When I look at my charges, we are talking about a murderer, which is not me. I have never thought about hurting anybody in my entire life."
This is a breaking news story, it will be updated as more is learned.
Amanda Horvath is a multimedia producer with Rocky Mountain PBS. You can reach her at amandahorvath@rmpbs.org.