DA to ask judge to reduce Rogel Aguilera-Mederos’ prison sentence to 20-30 years

First Judicial District Attorney Alexis King says she will seek a dramatic reduction in the sentence for Rogel Aguilera-Mederos, the truck driver handed 110 years in prison for causing a fiery crash on Interstate 70 in Lakewood that killed four people.

King, a first-term Democrat, said in a news release Friday evening that “the facts of this case and input from the victims and their families” compels her to seek a new sentence of 20 to 30 years, instead of the longer prison term her office sought by filing charges that carried mandatory consecutive sentences.

“As the jury found, Mr. Aguilera-Mederos knowingly made multiple active choices that resulted in the death of four people, serious injuries to others, and mass destruction. This sentencing range reflects an appropriate outcome for that conduct, which was not an accident. Given that the victims in this case have more than one view of an appropriate outcome, and this trial court heard the evidence presented, we believe that this hearing is the best path to securing justice for everyone involved,” King said in a statement.

This announcement follows an international backlash to the length of the initial sentence. Millions have signed online petitions and Gov. Jared Polis, who has met with the families of those who died in the 2019 highway crash, has said he’ll give an expedited review of a clemency application for Aguilera-Mederos.

On Thursday, Democratic Latino state lawmakers rallied with others at the Capitol in protest of the sentence, which is in part a product of Colorado’s mandatory sentencing laws.

This is a developing story and it will be updated.

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