AKTUALE

The Juror in case of truck driver sentenced to 110 years in prison says sentence is ‘not fair’

A juror who helped convict a Texas trucker for a deadly Colorado crash says his 110-jail sentence is ‘not right,’ as a petition for clemency surpasses 4.5 million signatures.

Rogel Aguilera-Mederos, 26, was driving a semi-truck on April 25, 2019, along Interstate 70 in Lakewood, Colorado, when he slammed into two dozen vehicles – including four other transports stuck in rush-hour traffic.

The impact caused a fireball explosion that incinerated cars and trucks, killing four people.

He was sentenced last week on 27 criminal charges and his harsh sentence drew criticism among millions of people – including a juror who found him guilty.

‘I cried my eyes out,’ the juror, who remained anonymous, told FOX31 regarding the sentence given to Aguilera-Mederos.

The juror called the sentence ‘100-fold of what it should have been’ and said that while the trucker was responsible for the crash, Judge A. Bruce Jones should have given him a ‘more suitable sentence.’

Jones has said his hands are tied due to mandatory minimum laws.

‘There is just something wrong to where a judge cannot intervene in some way and say the way this is written is not right,’ the juror added.

The juror also told FOX31 he feels for the families of the victims, but feels compelled to speak in favor of reducing Aguilera-Mederos’ sentence.

‘I don’t [think] the governor should sit there and offer him clemency and let him off,’ he said. ‘But to step in and say this would be a more suitable sentence for what had happened.’

The governor is the only person who can grant clemency at the state level. Polis most recently commuted four sentences and issued 18 pardons in December 2020. Clemency usually results in a sentence reduction or a pardon.

The petition goes on to say that Aguilera-Mederos could have ‘done things differently to avoid the courts,’ but ultimately commended him for taking responsibility and apologizing to the victim’s families.

It has become the website’s third most signed petition, according to the Change.org page.

Polis said last Thursday he hasn’t received a clemency application from Aguilera-Mederos.

‘We review all clemency applications, we’ve yet to receive one from the individual but every clemency application that we receive, we review and make a determination,’ he said.

During his sentencing December 13, Aguilera-Medero burst into tears.

‘I am not a criminal,’ he said. ‘I am not a murderer. I am not a killer. When I look at my charges, we are talking about a murderer, which is not me. I have never thought about hurting anybody in my entire life.’

Aguilera-Mederos claimed the brakes in his truck failed and he lost control, but prosecutors argued in court that he could have taken steps to prevent the crash, including using a runaway truck ramp miles before the wreck. He made a ‘bunch of bad decisions’ instead, they said.

The sentencing prompted a series of minor protests from truck drivers.

According to TikTok videos, truck drivers are now refusing to enter the state as a way to denounce the sentence they’ve deemed harsh and unfair.

Although the videos have gained traction in recent days, the Colorado Motor Carriers Association said on Friday they were not aware of serious attempts of a boycott.

Greg Fulton, president of the association told ABC News he hasn’t seen concerning evidence of a boycott.

‘I’m not seeing really anything that’s showing up of that boycott in terms of companies missing shipments or other things like that,’ Fulton told the outlet.

Fulton also said that while he feels for the driver, calling the crash a mechanical failure, as the petition states, is incorrect.

‘I think in our eyes is inexperience, a lack of familiarity with the driver of the mountains…I don’t think the company should have put them in this situation,’ he said.

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