A CDL-A truck driver has been sentenced to 110 years in prison two years after he drove into traffic in Denver, killing four people.
CNN reported that Rogel Aguilera-Mederos, 26, was going 85 mph in a semi on Interstate 70 in April 2019. He reportedly told investigators that his brakes failed. He said he tried to pull over on the shoulder, but another semi was already stopped there. A 28-car pileup ensued and four people were killed, according to Lakewood Police Department.
Aguilera-Mederos has been found guilty of vehicular homicide and 23 other charges including extreme indifference, attempt to commit assault and reckless driving, according to Colorado’s First Judicial District Attorney’s Office. He was sentenced to the minimum on all counts, totaling 110 years, to be served consecutively.
“Colorado law requires courts to sentence most individuals convicted of certain categories of crimes to a mandatory minimum period of incarceration,” the Colorado General Assembly website states.
After a trial last week, Aquilera-Mederos’ attorney said the 26-year-old doesn’t deserve to die in prison, CNN reported.
“There will be an appeal as to the facts and mistakes made in the trial,” said attorney James Colgan. “The issue with this appeal will not be the sentence itself. Under the law, the Court was not incorrect. However, the law, as written, is barbaric and Draconian,” Colgan told CNN. “There needs to be a change in the law.”
Story courtesy of CNN.com.
