Rogel Aguilera-Mederos: Efforts to Reduce His Sentence May Pay Out

Rogel Aguilera-Mederos might get a second chance. The 26-year-old Cuban truck driver who was involved in a terrible accident on a Colorado highway that killed four people may get his 110-year jail sentence reconsidered. A Jefferson County judge will hold a hearing Monday morning.

The conviction has drawn the attention of millions of people around the world who are asking for clemency for Aguilera, including personalities such as Shakira and Kim Kardashian, who also spoke out publicly about this case. A petition on Change.org has been signed by almost five Million people. At 6,000,000 signatures, this petition becomes one of the top signed on Change.org.

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Jefferson County District Attorney Alexis King said in a statement Thursday night that she would ask the judge during a hearing Monday to re-convict Aguilera-Mederos. 

“Based on the facts of this case and the opinions of the victims and their families, my office will ask the court to consider a sentence range of 20 to 30 years when the court is prepared to pass the new sentence,” King said in the statement. 

Leonard Martínez, Aguilera-Mederos’ lawyer, said that a sentence of 20 to 30 years “is not yet consistent with the precedent of previous similar cases.”

While Aguilera’s legal team will continue to fight to have his sentence reduced, Governor Jared Polis is reviewing the proposal and would make a decision on the case, requesting a new trial, pardon him or commuting his sentence.

Aguilera-Mederos, who was sentenced to 110 years in prison in October for vehicular manslaughter and other charges, testified that the brakes on his truck failed before colliding with vehicles that had slowed down due to another accident on I-70 in Denver, Colorado.