Rogel Aguilera-Mederos, driver in deadly Colorado I-70 crash, seeks parole

Rogel Aguilera-Mederos, the semi-truck driver whose 110-year prison sentence for a fatal 2019 crash on Colorado's Interstate 70 sparked international outrage and an intervention by the governor, is asking to be released on parole.

His application has been referred to the full state parole board following a hearing. Under Colorado rules, he needs at least four votes from the seven participating board members to secure his release.

During his parole hearing, Aguilera-Mederos spoke of the deep remorse he carries for the four people who lost their lives when his truck ploughed into stationary traffic.

"The brakes went out, so I tried to avoid the traffic, you know, not to hurt nobody," he said. "Unfortunately, the traffic was stopped, and four people lost their lives. I feel bad about it. I feel sorry, sad. I would have preferred God taking me instead of them."

He added that he prays daily and hopes to one day speak directly to the victims' families to seek their forgiveness.

The crash and the trial

The disaster unfolded in 2019 on a steep, downhill stretch of I-70. Aguilera-Mederos, then a commercial truck driver, lost control of his vehicle.

At his trial, he maintained that his brakes had failed and that he did his best to avoid hitting anyone. Prosecutors, however, argued that his driving was reckless. They presented evidence that he had been speeding and had deliberately driven past a runaway truck ramp that could have stopped the vehicle safely before it slammed into backed-up traffic.

The collision triggered a massive, fiery pile-up that killed four people and injured several others.

Why the sentence was reduced

When a judge sentenced Aguilera-Mederos to 110 years in prison in late 2021, the length of the term shocked the public. The judge himself acknowledged the sentence felt excessive, but explained that Colorado law gave him no choice.

The extreme length was the mandatory result of the high number of charges filed against him, coupled with state laws requiring that sentences for violent crimes be served consecutively rather than concurrently.

The case drew national headlines, truck driver protests, and millions of signatures on an online petition calling for clemency. Just weeks later, in December 2021, Colorado Governor Jared Polis intervened. Calling the 110-year term highly unjust, Polis commuted the sentence to 10 years.

What happens next

That commutation made Aguilera-Mederos eligible for parole at the end of December 2026.

The parole board is currently assessing his request, taking into account his conduct whilst incarcerated, his participation in rehabilitation and treatment programmes, the gravity of the original offence, and his plans for life after prison.

Aguilera-Mederos told the board members he would not reoffend if they chose to release him.

"I'm going to make sure that you don't regret your choice if I'm granted parole," he said. "I'm not coming back to prison. I feel like I don't belong here."