COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The district attorney's office in Jefferson County will ask a judge to reduce a truck driver's 110-year sentence by more than 70 years, the office announced Thursday.
Rogel Lazaro Aguilera-Mederos, 26, was sentenced after being convicted of a number of charges in connection with a fatal crash on Interstate 70 that killed four people and injured several others in 2019. Earlier this week, District Attorney had asked for a resentencing hearing, which is scheduled for 11 a.m. Monday.
“Based on the facts of this case and input from the victims and their families, my office will be asking the court to consider a sentencing range of 20-30 years when the Court is prepared to address resentencing," King said in a news release.
"As the jury found, Mr. Aguilera-Mederos knowingly made multiple active choices that resulted in the death of four people, serious injuries to others, and mass destruction. This sentencing range reflects an appropriate outcome for that conduct, which was not an accident. Given that the victims in this case have more than one view of an appropriate outcome, and this trial court heard the evidence presented, we believe that this hearing is the best path to securing justice for everyone involved."
Backlash following Aguilera-Mederos sentence has grown since he was sentenced as more than 4.5 million people have signed an online petition asking Gov. Jared Polis for clemency.
At the time of the crash, Aguilera-Mederos was not under the influence and had no prior criminal record in Colorado. He was traveling as fast as 85 mph when his tractor-trailer slammed into traffic. The speed limit on the section of I-70 is 45 mph.
Aguilera-Mederos said during his trial that the brakes had failed when his emergency brake didn't initiate. When that happened he said he planned to stay on the shoulder in an attempt to avoid traffic, but couldn't because of another truck was in the way.
Prosecutors said he made a series of bad decisions that led to the crash including not using the runaway truck ramp several miles before the crash.
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