Leniency calls grow for trucker sentenced in Colorado crash

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DENVER – An online petition has gathered millions of signatures calling for leniency for a 26-year-old motortruck operator who was sentenced to 110 years successful situation for vehicular homicide successful an explosive mishap astatine the basal of a Colorado upland road that killed 4 radical successful 2019.

More than 4.5 cardinal radical had signed the change.org petition urging Gov. Jared Polis to assistance clemency oregon commute Rogel Aguilera-Mederos' condemnation by Tuesday, The Denver Gazette reports. Truckers nationwide person voiced outrage implicit the condemnation connected Twitter, utilizing the hashtags #NoTrucksToColorado and #NoTrucksColorado, among others.

The Democratic governor's bureau said it would invited an application, portion Aguilera-Mederos' lawyer told KDVR-TV that a petition could instrumentality clip due to the fact that the condemnation was conscionable handed down Dec. 13.

Aguilera-Mederos was convicted successful October of vehicular homicide and different charges stemming from the April 25, 2019, crash. He testified that helium was hauling lumber erstwhile the brakes connected his semitrailer failed arsenic helium was descending a steep people of Interstate 70 successful the Rocky Mountain foothills.

His motortruck plowed into vehicles that had slowed due to the fact that of different wreck successful the Denver suburb of Lakewood. He was traveling astatine slightest 85 mph (137 kph) connected a portion of the interstate wherever commercialized vehicles are constricted to 45 mph (72 kph).

The chain-reaction wreck involving 28 vehicles ruptured state tanks, causing a fireball that consumed vehicles and melted parts of the highway.

Prosecutors argued that arsenic Aguilera-Mederos' motortruck barreled down from the mountains, helium could person utilized a runaway ramp alongside the interstate that is designed to safely halt vehicles that person mislaid their brakes. Aguilera-Mederos testified helium was struggling to debar postulation and to displacement his motortruck into little gears to dilatory it down.

In imposing the sentence, District Court Judge Bruce Jones said it was the mandatory minimum word acceptable distant nether authorities instrumentality — and suggested a lesser punishment was warranted. Mandatory minimum sentencing laws required that sentences connected 27 counts of vehicular assault, assault, reckless driving and different charges tally consecutively.

“I volition authorities that if I had the discretion, it would not beryllium my sentence,” the justice said.

First Judicial District Attorney Alexis King, whose bureau prosecuted the case, filed a motion asking the tribunal to docket a proceeding to reconsider the sentence, her bureau said Tuesday. The question states that Colorado instrumentality allows reconsideration “in an exceptional lawsuit involving antithetic and extenuating circumstances” but didn't elaborate.

Prosecutors are consulting with victims successful the lawsuit to get their input anterior to immoderate proceedings, the question states.

King had said aft sentencing she would invited a reconsideration of the punishment. But she besides told The Denver Post that Aguilera-Mederos didn’t judge efforts to negociate a plea deal, and that the convictions recognized the harm caused to victims of the crash.

Polis’ bureau issued a connection saying that “we invited an exertion from Rogel Lazaro Aguilera-Mederos and volition expedite information but person not received 1 yet astatine this time.”

Aguilera-Mederos’ attorney, James Colgan, told The Post helium intends to entreaty the jury’s verdict and that immoderate exertion for clemency oregon leniency would person to hold pending that appeal. Among different factors, an exertion requires input from the Department of Corrections.

The clang killed 24-year-old Miguel Angel Lamas Arellano, 67-year-old William Bailey, 61-year-old Doyle Harrison and 69-year-old Stanley Politano.

Relatives of victims said astatine Aguilera-Mederos’ sentencing helium should service clip for the crimes.

Duane Bailey, the member of William Bailey, asked the justice to condemnation Aguilera-Mederos to astatine slightest 20 years, the Post reported. “He made a deliberate and intentional determination that his beingness was much important than everyone other connected the roadworthy that day,” Bailey said.

Bailey's wife, Gage Evans, told The New York Times the driver's condemnation shouldn't beryllium commuted but that lawmakers should alternatively analyse the sentencing laws.

“This idiosyncratic should walk immoderate clip successful situation and deliberation astir his actions,” Evans said, adding she and different victims' relatives entity to a “public narrative” that Aguilera-Mederos is simply a victim. “We are genuinely the victims,” she said.

Aguilera-Mederos wept arsenic helium apologized to the victims’ families astatine his sentencing. He asked for their forgiveness.

“I americium not a murderer. I americium not a killer. When I look astatine my charges, we are talking astir a murderer, which is not me,” helium said. “I person ne'er thought astir hurting anybody successful my full life.”

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