US3 min(s) read
Published 11:10 31 Dec 2021 GMT
Truck driver Rogel Aguilera-Mederos has had his 110-year prison sentence reduced to just 10 years after a major public outcry.
Per CNN, the governor of Colorado commuted the sentence on Thursday, December 30, calling the lengthy penalty for a fatal roadway accident "unjust".
The trucker accidentally killed four people when his brakes failed on a Colorado interstate.
The 26-year-old was handed the lengthy sentence after he was convicted in October on vehicular homicide and 23 other charges.
Now, his new sentence has been welcomed with a collective sigh of relief from many who thought the original penalty was far too long.
"I am writing to inform you that I am granting your application for a commutation," Governor Polis wrote to the trucker, who was sentenced earlier this month.
"After learning about the highly atypical and unjust sentence in your case, I am commuting your sentence to 10 years and granting you parole eligibility on December 30, 2026."
Aguilera-Mederos celebrated the announcement and thanked his supporters on Thursday, December 30.
More on this story in the video below:"This commutation is far more reflective of the crime than 110 years," his attorney James Colgan told ABC News. "Mr Mederos will be forever grateful for the millions of people that supported him."
First Judicial District Attorney Alexis King’s office prosecuted the case and eventually asked a judge to reconsider the case. A hearing was set for January 13, but the commutation has rendered it moot, a decision the prosecutor condemned.
"I joined the surviving victims and families of those who lost their loved ones in their wish to have the trial judge determine an appropriate sentence in this case, as he heard the facts and evidence of the defendant’s destructive conduct that led to death, injury, and devastating destruction," Ms King said in a statement.
"We are meeting with the victims and their loved ones this evening to support them in navigating this unprecedented action and to ensure they are treated with fairness, dignity, and respect during this difficult time."
The incident took place in April 2019 and resulted in tragedy when Aguilera-Mederos' brakes failed while he was driving a semi-tractor-trailer at 85 mph, he told police at the time.
As per an arrest affidavit, the 26-year-old had attempted to pull over to the shoulder in order to avoid coming into contact with other vehicles, however, another large truck had already stopped there.
The truck slammed into dozens of vehicles and caused a 28-vehicle crash. A gas tank ignited, sparking a fiery explosion that left four men dead.
No drugs or alcohol were involved in the incident, Lakewood Police Department has said.
The victims were Doyle Harrison, 61, William Bailey, 67, Miguel Angel Lamas Arrellano, 24, and Stanley Politano, 69.
