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Rogel Aguilera-Mederos, the Colorado truck driver who was sentenced to 110 years in prison, has been granted a reduced sentence of 10 years following a major public outcry over his clemency.
The 26-year-old was initially convicted for his involvement in a 2019 Colorado traffic accident that killed four people and left several injured. He faced 27 charges including vehicular homicide as his truck lost its brake and crashed into dozens of cars, causing a 28-vehicle pileup.
The driver was sentenced to 110 years in prison last week as per the mandatory minimum requirement of the state law. However, thousands of people and celebrities including Kim Kardashian came together to request that Colorado Governor Jared Polis grant clemency or a reduced sentence to Rogel Aguilera-Mederos.
An official petition seeking the driver’s reduced sentence received more than five million signatures and became one of the most-signed petitions of the year. Following the mass request, Governor Polis reduced Rogel’s sentence to 10 years with the possibility of parole after five years.
Kim Kardashian thanks Governor for Rogel Aguilera-Mederos clemency
Kim Kardashian was one of the most prominent supporters of the Rogel Aguilera-Mederos clemency request following his initial 110-year prison sentence. The reality star actively requested Governor Jared Polis to grant clemency to the truck driver.
On 22 December 2021, the SKIMS founder took to Twitter to post a long thread detailing the harsh judgment made against the trucker and criticized the mandatory minimum system in Colorado:
On 30 December 2021, Governor Polis officially reduced Rogel Aguilera-Mederos’ sentence to 10 years and issued an official commutation letter related to the case:
"The length of your 110-year sentence is simply not commensurate with your actions, nor with penalties handed down to others for similar crimes. 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 response, Kim Kardashian thanked the Governor for his decision and giving the truck another chance to return home in five years:
"Thank you @GovofCO for taking action to reduce Mr. Aguilera- Mederos sentence! While his new sentence is ten years, he will now have an opportunity to come home in five years and be with his son and wife.”
The KUWTK alum also said that the case highlighted the necessity of abolishing the system of mandatory minimums:
"This case was a clear example of why mandatory minimums don’t work and need to be abolished. I’m grateful to Governor Polis for his empathy and leadership on this case."
The socialite also shared a photo of the official executive order that granted clemency to the truck driver.
Why was Rogel Aguilera-Mederos sentenced to prison?
On 25 April 2019, Rogel Aguilera-Mederos was driving a semi-truck loaded with lumber along Interstate 70 in Lakewood, Denver. While coming downhill from the busy highway, the truck lost its brakes and crashed into other vehicles.
The crash caused a fireball explosion and resulted in a pileup of 24 cars and four semi-trailers, leaving four individuals dead and several others injured. Prosecutors mentioned that the incident was the result of a technical fault in the truck and the driver was not drunk or under the influence.
However, the trucker was held responsible for failing to use runaway ramps placed on the road to help vehicles struggling with brakes. He was found guilty of 27 charges in October including “four counts of vehicular homicide, six counts of first-degree assault under extreme indifference and 10 counts of attempt to commit assault in the first degree under extreme indifference.”
He was also convicted of “two counts of reckless vehicular assault, one count of reckless driving, and four counts of careless driving causing death.” Earlier this month, the driver was sentenced to 110 years in prison as per Colorado law.
In an emotional testimony, Rogel Aguilera-Mederos said he was “not a criminal” but owed up to his actions and apologized to the families affected by the crash. Following a mass request by the public, Colorado Governor Jared Polis granted the driver a reduced sentence of 10 years.
The clemency was part of several other year-end commutations and pardons issued by the Governor. The trucker will be eligible for parole on 30 December 2026, and his reconsideration hearing will likely take place on January 2022.
