DA Seeks to Have Trucker Rogel Aguilera-Mederos' 110-year Sentence Reduced to 20-30 Years

Rogel Aguilera-Mederos, the man who was sentenced to more than 100 years behind bars for his role in a deadly crash in Colorado in the spring of 2019, could have his sentence shortened by several decades during a hearing scheduled to take place on Monday.

Aguilera-Mederos, 26, was found guilty in October of vehicular manslaughter and other charges in connection with the deadly crash, during which four people were killed and several others were injured. He was sentenced earlier this month to 110 years in prison.

Aguilera-Mederos' lengthy sentence has prompted calls for leniency, with one Change.org petition calling for clemency or commutation for time served. The petition had gathered more than 4.8 million signatures as of Friday afternoon.

"No one deserves to serve 110 years in prison for a tragic accident," the petition organizers wrote in an update earlier this week.

First Judicial District Attorney Alexis King noted the public's response to Aguilera-Mederos' sentence in a motion filed last week that called for his sentence to be reconsidered. Discussions about how his sentence could be adjusted have involved members of the families who lost loved ones in the crash, King's motion said.

On Wednesday, King announced that a hearing to reconsider Aguilera-Mederos' was expected to take place on December 27. King said in a statement shared on her office's website that she will be seeking to reduce Aguilera-Mederos' sentence by several decades.

"Based on the facts of this case and input from the victims and their families, my office will be asking the court to consider a sentencing range of 20-30 years when the Court is prepared to address resentencing," King said.

King's statement continued by saying Aguilera-Mederos "knowingly made multiple active choices that resulted in the death of four people, serious injuries to others, and mass destruction" and said a sentence of 20 to 30 years "reflects an appropriate outcome for that conduct, which was not an accident."

In a statement shared with the Denver-based news station KDVR on Wednesday, an attorney for Aguilera-Mederos said the legal team behind Aguilera-Mederos was "glad" King acknowledged the "unjust sentence" but said the proposed adjustment was "still not consistent with the precedent of prior similar cases" both in Colorado and across the U.S.

"We plan to move forward and to keep all options open in achieving Justice for Rogel, including the possibility of clemency from Governor Polis," attorney Leonard Martinez told the station.

King said Wednesday her office was also working with Colorado Governor Jared Polis "to ensure that the victims and their loved ones are heard" as Aguilera-Mederos' sentence is reconsidered and as his clemency application is pending.

Newsweek reached out to Polis' office for comment and will update this article with any response.