GOLDEN, Colo. — A judge on Monday was set to consider a request from prosecutors to reduce the 110-year prison sentence of a trucker for an explosive crash that killed four people in suburban Denver.
The sentence given to Rogel Aguilera-Mederos, 26, has drawn outrage from around the country and among truck drivers, with around 5 million people signing an online petition seeking clemency for him. In addition to the prosecution’s request to lower the sentence, Aguilera-Mederos has requested clemency from Colorado Gov. Jared Polis.
Last week, District Attorney Alexis King said in a statement she would seek a sentence of 20 to 30 years in the 2019 crash on Interstate 70 west of Denver, noting that it was not an accident.
District Court Judge Bruce Jones imposed the sentence against Aguilera-Mederos on Dec. 13 after finding it was the mandatory minimum term set forth under state law.
One of Aguilera-Mederos’ attorneys, Leonard Martinez, said the district attorney’s requested sentencing range is not consistent with other similar cases in Colorado and the United States.
Colorado law allows for sentences for crimes deemed violent to be modified in cases with “unusual and extenuating circumstances” but those sentences cannot take effect until 119 days after a person enters prison.
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