Rogel Aguilera-Mederos, the truck driver whose crash killed four and resulted in him receiving a mandatory 110-year sentence behind bars, just had his sentence reduced. More than 5 million people expressed outrage after it was discovered that the crash was accidental due to the 18-wheeler Aguilera-Mederos was driving breaks failed. It was determined that he was also not under the influence of any drugs or alcohol and it was a simple malfunction gone bad. Calls for his sentence to be reduced or completely evaporated went wild. Even Kim Kardashian got involved and asked that Aguilera-Mederos be granted clemency by Colorado’s Governor. His sentence has now been reduced to 10 years.
The accident happened in 2019. In his clemency letter Thursday, Dec. 30, Colorado Governor Jared Polis said: “The crimes you were convicted of are serious. Four individuals lost their lives and others were seriously injured because of your bad decisions. Though your actions have caused immense pain, I am encouraged by your personal reflection and the commercial vehicle safety changes that were made in the wake of this tragedy to ensure this type of event never happens again.”
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Kardashian was made aware of the case and urged the governor to get involved. Though Aguilera-Mederos’ legal team were happy to have Kardashian on their side, some of the victims’ families were pissed. TMZ spoke to Kathleen Harrison, whose husband, Doyle, was killed in the crash. Kathleen felt that Kardashian was an uninformed loudmouth.
Kathleen explained that Aguilera-Mederos lied about his experience to get the trucking job. He also reportedly noticed earlier in his trip that his brakes were smoking, but ultimately decided to proceed.
Kardashian thanked Governor Polis, writing on Twitter, “Thank you [GovofCO] for taking action to reduce Mr. Aguilera-Mederos’ sentence! While his new sentence is ten years, he will now have an opportunity to come home in five years and be with his son and wife.” The SKIMS founder, who recently just passed the baby bar after failing three times, continued writing: “This case was a clear example of why mandatory minimums don’t work and need to be abolished. I’m grateful to Governor Polis for his empathy and leadership on this case.”
