Rogel Aguilera-Mederos.Photo: Denver Police
Colorado Governor Jared Polis has commuted the sentence of truck driver Rogel Lazaro Aguilera-Mederos.
The 26-year-old Cuban immigrant was sentenced to 110 years in jail earlier this month, after a jury found him guilty in October on 27 criminal counts — including vehicular homicide — for his involvement in a 2019 crash on I-70 in Lakewood thatleft four people dead.
On Thursday, Gov. Polis issued aclemency letterandexecutive orderannouncing that he had reduced Aguilera-Mederos' sentence to 10 years. He will be eligible for parole on Dec. 30, 2026.
“You were sentenced to 110 years in prison, effectively more than a life sentence, for a tragic but unintentional act,” Polis wrote in the letter. “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.”
He added, “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.”
An attorney for Aguilera-Mederos did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Among those who celebrated the governor’s decision wasKim Kardashian, who had previouslyvoiced her supportfor the commutation of Aguilera-Mederos' sentence.
“Thank you @GovofCO,” she tweeted Thursday, adding a prayer hands emoji and a clapping emoji.
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“If I had the discretion, if I thought I had the discretion, I would not run those sentences consecutively,” Jones said at the time. “I accept and respect what the defendant has said about his lack of intent to hurt people, but he made a series of terrible decisions, reckless decisions.”
Since then, more than 5 million people havesigned a petitionon Change.org urging Gov. Polis to grant Aguilera-Mederos clemency or commute his sentence.
A spokesperson for Change.Org told FOX 31 that the petition supporting Aguilera-Mederos is the site’sfastest-growing petition of the year.
Prior to the sentencing,one of the victims' daughterstold Judge Jones, per FOX 31, “I know I don’t get to have my dad for the rest of my life, but I hope that the defendant’s son can have his dad for the rest of his life.”
source: people.com
