Judge to reconsider truck driver’s 110-year prison sentence
A judge has set a court date to hear arguments as to why a truck driver’s 110-year prison sentence should or should not be reduced.
Judge Bruce Jones will reexamine Rogel Aguilera-Mederos’ sentence on Jan. 13, The Associated Press reported.
Aguilera-Mederos was convicted of killing four people in a wreck on a Colorado interstate. He was driving a tractor-trailer at 85 mph on April 25 2019 when he said his brakes failed. The crash caused a 28-car pileup that killed four people and hurt others, CNN and the AP reported.
He was found guilty of four counts of vehicular homicide and 23 other charges and sentenced to more than a century behind bars on Dec. 13. Jones said he handed down the sentence because of state sentencing guidelines that require the sentences to be served consecutively, not concurrently, NBC News reported.
But a Change.org petition started on Aguilera-Mederos’ behalf to have the sentence reconsidered has gathered nearly 5 million signatures as of Tuesday morning.
Prosecutors are also asking the judge to lower the sentence. Last week, District Attorney Alexis King said she would ask for a term of 20 to 30 years for Aguilera-Mederos, the AP reported.
Jones said he will look at the laws to see if he can have discretion in sentencing, the AP reported.
He will also be able to hear from victims and victims’ families during the hearing.
But one of the survivors of the crash doesn’t think Aguilera-Mederos’ sentence should be cut.
Valerie Robertson Young told CNN that, “He (Aguilera-Mederos) chose to hit traffic.” She said that the truck did not have its lights or flashers on and the driver didn’t honk to notify others on the road that he was coming before the crash and explosion that followed. Robertson Young said she spoke to Aguilera-Mederos moments after the crash and said that he tried to leave the scene.
Aguilera-Mederos testified that he tried to avoid traffic and attempted to downshift the truck, the AP reported.
Robertson Young said she has written a letter to the judge to be harsh on the sentencing. Young said that she is speaking for other victims and that Aguilera-Mederos had a choice instead of crashing into other cars. CNN reported that Aguilera-Mederos’ attorney said his client didn’t have any other choice.
