A trucker from Cuba who immigrated to the United States and made a home for himself in Houston, Texas was recently sentenced to over a century in prison for causing a traffic crash that killed four people in Colorado.

Now Colorado Governor Jared Polis has stepped in to drastically reduce that sentence after backlash both across the U.S. and around the world.

The Charges Against Rogel Aguilera-Mederos

Back in 2019, then-23-year-old Rogel Aguilera-Mederos lost control of his semi-truck hauling lumber and caused a fiery crash in Lakewood, Colorado that resulted in four people dying and several more being injured.

KSBS-TV Denver reports that Aguilera-Mederos faced 42 counts, and was found guilty of the following charges in October of 2021:

  • Cehicular homicide
  • First-degree assault
  • Attempted first-degree assault
  • Reckless driving
  • Careless driving
  • Vehicular assault

Persecutors successfully argued that Aguilera-Mederos was speeding before he encountered traffic on I-70 that was stopped due to another crash, that he failed to use an emergency ramp designed for trucks before coming upon the traffic, and that he neglected the poor condition of his brakes.

Rogel Aguilera-Mederos Received A 110-Year Prison Sentence

In December of 2021, Aguilera-Mederos was sentenced to 110 years in prison.

KCNC-TV reports that the judge in this case felt he was bound by state guidelines requiring that the offender's sentence be no less than 110 years.

Almost immediately, a petition circulated around the globe calling for a reduced sentence. Even the district attorney who prosecuted the case told the Denver Post she would request a new sentence of 20 to 30 years, and Governor Polis said he would expedite a review of Aguilera-Mederos' clemency application.

Rogel Aguilera-Mederos's Sentenced Has Been Reduced to 10 Years

Gov. Polis acted far more quickly than perhaps many expected. KHOU-TV reported Thursday that Gov. Polis has used his influence to reduce the sentence to just 10 years.

In a letter to Aguilera-Mederos, Gov. Polis wrote:

I believe you deserve clemency for several reasons. You were sentenced to 110 years in prison, effectively more than a life sentence, for a tragic but unintentional act. While you are not blameless, your sentence is disproportionate compared with many other inmates in our criminal justice system who committed intentional, premeditated, or violent crimes.

Your highly unusual sentence highlights the lack of uniformity between sentences for similarly situated crimes, which is particularly true when individuals are charged with offenses that require mandatory minimum sentences. This case will hopefully spur an important conversation about sentencing laws, but any subsequent changes to the law would not retroactively impact your sentence, which is why I am granting you this limited commutation.

A family member of one of the victims killed reportedly spoke with Gov. Polis Thursday and agreed that the shorter sentence was more just.

Not every victim's family members were on board, and some still feel the fatal crash was the result of the driver's negligence and not any mechanical failure of his truck.

Many have argued that even though the crash may have been caused by negligence and recklessness on the part of Aguilera-Mederos, his sentence was the result of problematic mandatory minimum sentencing laws that need to be re-evaluated.

What Do You Think?

So, what do you think? Did Colorado's governor do the right thing in this case? Vote in our poll below, and let us know your thoughts on our socials or using the Chat feature in our free app.

States Where Recreational Marijuana is Legal

A fun collection of facts and photos! Learn which states have legalized recreational marijuana and when, plus some weed facts you may have never known.

Here Are 10 Cool Central Texas AirBnB's You Should Check Out

If you are curious about what kind of Airbnb rentals this area has to offer take a few minutes of your time and check these out!

I was on Airbnb's website last week booking a place for relatives who are coming to visit and ran across a few really cool spots in Temple, Belton, Killeen, and Salado.

Here Are 10 AirBnB's In Temple You Definitely Have To See

Perusing Airbnb to check out a few cool rentals in Temple and I came across these. You got to check these out!

More From KOOC-FM