Share this @internewscast.com

A 110-year prison sentence given to a truck driver for a traffic collision that killed four people in Colorado has led to millions signing a leniency petition and one of the prosecuting attorneys requesting that his sentence be reconsidered.

Jefferson County District Attorney Alexis King filed a motion Friday requesting the court reconsider what is essentially a lifetime sentence to 26-year-old Rogel Aguilera-Mederos for the 2019 crash that he claims was caused by brake failure. The motion describes the case as “exceptional” and “involving unusual and extenuating circumstances.”

Prosecutors will consult victims prior to any proceedings, the motion states. King’s office said in a statement Tuesday, announcing the motion, that it will not provide further comment at this time.

More than 4.6 million people have signed an online petition urging Aguilera-Mederos’ Dec. 13 sentence be reduced, arguing that the crash was not intentional or criminal and that he was found to have been sober at the time. Truck drivers have also staged protests over the sentencing, with them using hashtags that include #NoTrucksToColorado and #NoTrucksColorado.

A firefighter responds to the scene of the deadly 2019 pileup involving over two dozen vehicles near Denver.
A firefighter responds to the scene of the deadly 2019 pileup involving over two dozen vehicles near Denver.

via Associated Press

Aguilera-Mederos was hauling lumber on April 25, 2019, when he said his semi’s brakes failed along Interstate 70, causing him to careen down the mountain interstate and into stopped traffic in Lakewood. Prosecutors faulted him for speeding and not using a runaway ramp designed for vehicles that have lost their brakes.

But even the judge overseeing the case, District Court Judge Bruce Jones, expressed disapproval of the lofty sentence. He said the term was a minimum required under state law for the 27 counts Aguilera-Mederos was convicted of, which must run consecutively.

“I will state that if I had the discretion, it would not be my sentence,” he said, according to The Associated Press.

“In all victim impact statements I read, I did not glean from them someone saying, ‘He should be in prison for the rest of his life, and he should never, ever get out,’” Jones said during the sentencing hearing.

Issue has also since been raised about an apparent handmade trophy that was reportedly exchanged between two district attorneys prosecuting the case.

Rogel Aguilera-Mederos was convicted in October of vehicular homicide and other charges stemming from the April 2019 crash.
Rogel Aguilera-Mederos was convicted in October of vehicular homicide and other charges stemming from the April 2019 crash.

via Associated Press

Jefferson County Deputy District Attorney Kayla Wildeman posted to social media at an undisclosed date a photo of a truck’s brake shoe that was turned into what she called a “special gift” to memorialize the case. It features a plaque reading “I-70 Case” and the case number. The since-deleted post credited senior District Attorney Trevor Moritzky for gifting the item to her, according to The Denver Post.

“I sure am grateful this trial brought you into my career as both a colleague and a friend!” the post read.

King, in a statement to Denver Channel on Tuesday, said Wildeman’s post was made in “very poor taste” and said that the brake part is not from the crash scene.

“The post … does not reflect the values of my administration. We have addressed it internally,” she told the station. Her office did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.

Kim Kardashian West ― who recently passed California’s First-Year Law Students’ Examination ― was among those who expressed outrage not only over Aguilera-Mederos’ sentence but that social media post.

“Makes me so sick,” she tweeted Tuesday. “Colorado law really has to be changed and this is so unfair.”

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) said at a news conference Tuesday that his office has received a clemency application for Aguilera-Mederos and that his legal team is reviewing it.

“When we have a decision, we will announce it,” Polis said, according to local station KDVR.

Aguilera-Mederos’ attorney, James Colgan, also told The Denver Post he plans to appeal the verdict, which he said would mean any application for clemency or leniency would have to wait pending that appeal. Colgan did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.

Source: huffpost

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like

Mother Charged in Tragic Incident After Space Heater Mishap Leads to Toddler’s Death: Police Report

Inset: Enzo J. Peters (Merkle Funeral Home). Background: The area where Enzo…

Shocking Mustang Crash: Driver Claims She Mistook Pedestrian for Speed Bump in Crosswalk Accident

Left inset: Dawn Dunkle (Clearwater Police Department). Right inset: Elbert Gilbert (GoFundMe).…

High-Speed Pursuit: Man Who Threatened Trump Escalates Tensions with Deputy Car Ramming

Main: President Donald Trump delivers the Memorial Day Address at the 157th…

Ex-Flip Factory Worker Arrested for Allegedly Distributing Extra Game Cards

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Kyle Sebastian Fowler, aged 38, found himself in legal…

Father’s Unexplained Disappearance Now Deemed Suspicious by Authorities

A father who disappeared from Melbourne almost 14 years ago is now…

Nancy Guthrie’s Family Exonerated as Suspects Amidst ‘Unfounded’ Speculation

The Guthrie family has been ruled out as suspects in the ongoing…

Video Game Obsession Turns Violent: Son Pulls Assault Rifle on Mother Amid Heated Entitlement Dispute

Insets: Beau Lieurance (Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office/KSAZ/YouTube). Background: The Arizona home where…

Tragic Valentine’s Day Shooting: US Soldier and Ukrainian Refugee Fatally Shot by Ex-Boyfriend

Share A tragic Valentine’s Day incident in North Carolina led to the…

Family Speaks Out on Ordeal of Wrongfully Abducted Man

The family of an 85-year-old Sydney grandfather kidnapped in a case of…

Tragic Shooting: Off-Duty Officer Allegedly Shoots Wife Amid Divorce Proceedings, Children Present

Share A tragic incident has unfolded in upstate New York, where a…

Tragic Murder-Suicide at Rhode Island Youth Hockey Game Leaves 3 Dead: Community in Shock

A father attending a youth hockey game on Monday turned a family…

Elementary School Incident: Child Arrives with Cockroach-Infested Backpack, Covered in Bug Bites – Police Investigate

Share Authorities in West Virginia have detained the parents of two young…