Trucker’s 110-year sentence in fatal Colorado crash to be reviewed after outcry

Following an outcry by millions of people, including Kim Kardashian, Colorado prosecutors have filed a motion seeking for a second look at the 110-year prison sentence of a trucker convicted in a fatal 2019 crash.

“As Colorado law required the imposition of the sentence in this case, the law also permits the Court to reconsider its sentence in an exceptional case involving unusual and extenuating circumstances,” the motion filed by the Colorado First Judicial District Attorney’s Office.

The motion says the court can review its sentence of Rogel Aguilera-Mederos based on new reports.

A hearing on the motion has been scheduled Monday, Dec. 27, CNN reported.

The move comes after more than 4.5 million people signed a Change.org petition asking Gov. Jared Polis to commute Aguilera-Mederos’ sentence.

In 2019, Aguilera-Mederos was involved in a 28-car crash that killed four people on Interstate 70 in Colorado, according to KMGH. Aguilera-Mederos said he lost control of the semi-truck’s brakes and crashed into traffic, the news outlet reported.

Police say he was driving 85 mph just before the crash.

The 26-year-old was convicted of 27 counts, including four counts of vehicular homicide and six counts of first-degree assault, KCNC reported.

A judge in Jefferson County sentenced Aguilera-Mederos to 110 years in prison Dec. 13.

“I accept and respect what the defendant has said about his lack of intent to hurt people, but he made a series of terrible decisions, reckless decisions,” District Court Judge Bruce Jones said, according to KCNC. “If I had the discretion, it would not be my sentence.”

The 110-year sentence for Aguilera-Mederos is twice as long as the sentence some murderers have received in the state, The Denver Post reported. His convictions triggered state law that requires a minimum 110-year sentence.

Supporters say the accident was not intentional or a criminal act, and urge that the trucking company be held responsible for the truck’s bad brakes rather than Aguilera-Mederos.

Kardashian weighed in on Twitter, saying she had taken a “deep dive” into the case, blasting the state’s mandatory sentencing laws.

“Colorado law really has to be changed and this is so unfair,” Kardashian wrote.

But Valerie Robertson Young, who was in a vehicle struck by Aguilera-Mederos, told KDVR that she thinks he should serve the full 110 years — or at least half of it.

“I had to watch those four men burn alive,” she told the station. “That’s not something I’m ever gonna forget.”

This story was originally published December 22, 2021 at 1:51 PM with the headline "Trucker’s 110-year sentence in fatal Colorado crash to be reviewed after outcry."