The Colorado governor has slashed Rogel Aguilera-Mederos’ sentence from 110 years to 10 years in prison following a public outcry.
The convicted trucker, who was found guilty on four counts of vehicular manslaughter on top of other charges, was initially sentenced to 110 years in prison due to the state’s law dictating mandatory minimum sentences.
Following the sentencing, millions of people have voiced support for the truck driver who caused a devastating crash on Interstate 70 back in 2019. Now, their voices have been heard, whereas Governor Jared Polis commuted his sentence to just ten years.
“Rogel L. Aguilera-Mederos be and hereby is granted a commutation such that his sentence is commuted to 10 years in the custody of the Department of Corrections. He shall be parole eligible effective December 30, 2026,” the governor’s executive order reads.
“This grant of clemency is limited to the commutation granted in Section II.A. of this Executive Order, and this grant of clemency shall not in any way affect the underlying criminal conviction.”
The commutation comes after millions of people, including Kim Kardashian and a juror who had found the 26-year-old driver guilty, branded the sentence as harsh and unjust.
“There is just something wrong to where a judge cannot intervene in some way and say the way this is written is not right,” one of the jurors previously said.
Speaking to FOX31, the same juror added: “I don’t [think] the governor should sit there and offer him clemency and let him off. But to step in and say this would be a more suitable sentence for what had happened.”
After the sentence was reduced to 10 years, Kim Kardashian thanked the Colorado governor for showing “empathy and leadership” while insisting that “this case was a clear example of why mandatory minimums don’t work and need to be abolished.”
“Thank you @Govofco for taking action to reduce Mr. Aguilera-Mederos sentence! While his new sentence is 10 years, he will now have an opportunity to come home in five years and be with his son and wife,” Kardashian wrote.
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