Truck driver Rogel Aguilera-Mederos’ prison sentence was lowered last week and many of his supporters were elated – including singer Shakira. She posted a screenshot of an article about Mederos’ case on Instagram, along with a few remarks about it in the caption.
“I’m heartened to know that, when people come together, justice can still be pursued and we can all affect change,” Shakira wrote. “I hope we can continue to raise our voices wherever there’s unfairness in the [world], because there is so much of it and we are many.” Mederos was recently at the center of a national outcry when he was sentenced to 110 years in prison for his role in an accidental crash back in 2019. According to a report by ABC News, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis granted him clemency on Thursday, Dec. 30, lowering his sentence to just 10 years.
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Fans were pleased to hear Shakira taking a stand and sounding so optimistic. One commented: “I know it was an accident but i dont see why he has to do anytime for a company’s truck malfunction. Or maybe i dont have the story right. Ten years is a lot but it definitely beats 110.” Another added: “Love for everyone involved. No amount of jail time is going to bring the people back to life. Why make someone else lose their entire life? From someone whose (sic) been incarcerated, 10 years is just, he’ll be out early with good behavior and still have plenty of life to live with a lesson learned.”
Mederos was driving on Interstate 70 outside of Denver, Colorado when the brakes on his truck failed, leading to a devastating pileup crash. Four people were killed in the crash and many others were injured. Mederos’ supporters feel that he should not be held personally liable for maintenance that was not his responsibility, and many also believe his employer should not have assigned him a delivery in that area with little experience at just 23 years old.
Now, prosecutors have said that they plan to release more evidence against Mederos in an attempt to get the sentence revised once again. Mederos’ attorney told ABC that the prosecutors are speaking from “political motivations,” and he does not believe the case is even within their jurisdiction any longer.
Mederos is due back in court on Jan. 13, but it is not clear when his sentence will officially begin. He remains in custody in Colorado.
