JEFFERSON COUNTY, CO. (THECOUNT) — On Thursday, Colorado Governor Jared Polis commuted Rogel Lazaro Aguilera-Mederos’ sentence after the truck driver was handed down a 110-year prison sentence for an April 2019 crash that killed four people.
Polis reduced the 26-year-old’s sentence to 10 years. Aguilera-Mederos will be eligible for parole in five years, starting in December 2026, according to KMGH.
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“The length of your 110-year sentence is simply not commensurate with your actions, nor with penalties handed down to others for similar crimes,” Polis wrote in a commutation letter to the driver. “There is an urgency to remedy this unjust sentence and restore confidence in the uniformity and fairness of our criminal justice system, and consequently I have chosen to commute your sentence now.”
In April 2019, Aguilera-Mederos was operating a semi-truck on Interstate 70 in Lakewood when his brakes failed, causing a 28-car pileup that killed Miguel Angel Lamas Arellano, 24, William Bailey, 67, Doyle Harrison, 61, and Stanley Politano, 69.
Aguilera-Mederos said he “lost his brakes,” causing him to lose control of his semi-truck before passing a runaway truck ramp as he descended from a mountainous region on the interstate. In October, he was convicted of vehicular homicide, first-degree assault, attempted first-degree assault, careless driving causing death, vehicular assault, and reckless driving, reports crimeonline.\
During a December 12 sentencing hearing, District Court Judge Bruce Jones told Aguilera-Mederos that state sentencing guidelines meant he had to hand down the consecutive sentences — despite Aguilera-Mederos having no prior criminal history and being 23 at the time of the wreck.
At the time governor Polis issued the commutation, First Judicial District Attorney Alexis King was expected to ask the court to lower Aguilera-Mederos’ sentence to 20 to 30 years. On Monday, Judge Jones scheduled a resentencing hearing for January 13, 2022.
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Geo quick facts: Jefferson County, is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 582,910, making it the fourth-most populous county in Colorado. The county seat is Golden, and the most populous city is Lakewood – Wikipedia.