Keith Coffman

DENVER, CO (Reuters) – A Colorado prosecutor tried to get a lesser sentence for a truck driver convicted of vehicular homicide. The case stemmed from a 2018 fiery collision on a mountain highway which resulted in the deaths of four drivers.

Alexis King, Jefferson County District attorney is asking the judge to sentence Rogel Aguilera Mederos to 20-30 years in prison. King represents a more lenient approach to an extremely publicized case where prosecutors stated that there was not criminal intent.

Aguilera Mederos was convicted by a jury of four murder charges in October and numerous counts for assault and reckless driving after the April 2019 accident.

Bruce Jones, District Court Judge, stated that when he handed down the 110 year sentence Dec. 13, he wouldn’t have given such a long term. He would instead have used mandatory minimum penalties as required by state law.

The prosecution presented evidence to show that Aguilera Mederos, who was driving a truck of lumber on the mountain roads, had not been properly trained.

Prosecutors said that he knew his tractor-trailer brakes were failing, but he descended the mountain anyway. He bypassed a truck ramp, and crashed into traffic on Interstate 70 west from Denver, when the car was out of control.

Prosecutors did not allege that Aguilera Mederos, 26, an immigrant from Cuba, was impair or harbored any criminal intent.

Aguilera Mederos wept at sentencing as he asked forgiveness and for leniency. He said, “I have never considered hurting anybody in my whole life.”

This case attracted national attention, with almost 5 million signing an online petition asking for clemency.

Jones stated that it is almost impossible for defense lawyers to request a reduction in sentence in such cases. Jones spoke at a Monday hearing. Jones directed both parties to submit briefs, and scheduled another hearing for January 13.

Defense lawyer James Colgan called King’s move “disingenuous.”

“Two weeks ago, they (prosecutors) were perfectly fine with my client getting 110 years until there was a public outcry,” he told Reuters after Monday’s hearing. “It’s all political.”

At a post-hearing news conference in which she declined to take questions, King said she consulted with victims’ families and survivors before urging a lighter sentence.

King said she acted “so the court could consider an alternative sentence that was not bound by mandatory sentencing structures.”

Colgan indicated that he was uncertain of the implications for appeals in future cases if Colgan agreed to the motion. Therefore, he did not stand at Monday’s hearing.

“This is unprecedented. It’s just never happened before,” he said.