Around 5 million people signed a petition asking for the commutation of the harsh sentence given to a US truck driver over a deadly accident
Following public outcry, the governor of Colorado commuted the sentence of truck driver Rogel Aguilera-Mederos, who was involved in a crash that killed four in 2019, from to 110 to 10 years with eligibility for parole in five.
“The length of your 110-year sentence is simply not commensurate with your actions, nor with penalties handed down to others for similar crimes,” Governor Jared Polis wrote in Aguilera-Mederos’ commutation letter on Thursday.
Polis explained his decision by the “urgency to remedy this unjust sentence and restore confidence in the uniformity and fairness of our criminal justice system.”
The 2019 crash that landed the Cuban immigrant behind bars was a “tragic but unintentional act,” the governor said.
Aguilera-Mederos’ truck smashed into stationary traffic and caught fire, killing four people, injuring a dozen more, and creating a major pile-up in Lakewood, Colorado.
The driver said the brakes of his truck failed and that he tried his best to avoid the collision. No drugs or alcohol were reportedly found in his system after the incident. During the trial, Aguilera-Mederos asked the families of the victims for forgiveness several times, saying he wished he had died in the crash instead of them.
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