This is the second time in this week, supporters of Rogel Aguilera-Mederos have gathered at the foot of the Colorado state Capitol building to demand either clemency or the commutation of the 26-year-old’s sentence of 110 years.
On December 22 Aguilera-Mederos’s mom, Oslaida Mederos, spoke to hundreds of people from a lectern located on the stairs of the Capitol building. She cried, begs for her son to be seen once more.
“Please assist my situation,” she pleaded in Spanish. “I would like to see my child.”
“I am going to die if I haven’t seen my son again soon,” Oslaida Mederos added.
State legislators discussed the Aguilera-Mederos trial, focusing on the necessity for criminal justice and sentencing reform. They also emphasized the demand for clemency and the possibility of commutation.
“This is a tragic event,” State Senator Julie Gonzales (D-Denver) stated. “And it really demonstrates the need to reform our sentencing system.”
The case of Aguilera-Mederos has garnered media attention across the country. Over 4.7 million have supported an online petition requesting the Governor Jared Polis to intervene in the case. Celebrities such as Kim Kardashian have commented on the sentence.
Kardashian stated: “I pray that Governor Polis known as a leading figure in promoting reforms to increase the dignity of people in law enforcement, can reduce her sentence.”
Governor Polis has said that his office is looking into the clemency request.
Update
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. – A judge from the First Judicial District Attorney Alexis King has made a motion to reconsider the sentence of Rogel Aguilera-Mederos. A judge sentenced him to 110 years of prison time for causing a massive collision that injured four and injured six others on Interstate 70 east of Denver in April of 2019.
The motion, filed on December 17, is a part of the motion that reads “As Colorado law required the execution of sentences in the present case, the law allows for the Court in re-considering its decision in exceptional cases involving extraordinary and extenuating circumstances.”
Governor Jared Polis has also faced many requests and questions in his administration to award Aguilera Mediros the right of clemency. At a news conference regarding COVID-19 which was held in Colorado on the 21st of December Polis responded to a question regarding Aguilera Mederos’ case. He stated that his office had received the clemency application on Monday afternoon and that his legal team is examining the application.
from the steps to from the steps of Colorado Capitol and the building’s online petition millions of people have signed, thousands are calling for Colorado Governor Jared Polis to offer clemency or commutation of time served for Rogel Aguilera Mederos.
He was sentenced the 13th of December to a term of 110 years in prison following the judge found him guilty of the cause of a massive accident that claimed the lives of four and injured six others on Interstate 70 east in Denver on April 2019. The Denver Post reported the district court judge was unable to pass a lower sentence to Aguilera-Mederos due to the mandatory minimum sentencing law.
In the immediate aftermath of his sentence the petition was launched online in the wake of the sentence, asking Polis to allow him to be clemency-free or offer the possibility of commutation in exchange for his time served. At the time of writing it had greater than 4.4 millions of signatures.
A group of groups also urged those living in areas around the Denver area to participate in rallies for Aguilera Mederos. The one on 20 December was dubbed “‘Crime'” Does NOT Make Sense for the Time March to support Rogel Aguilera Mederos” and asked for supporters to gather at the capitol building. There was only a small number of people on Monday, but organizers informed Rocky Mountain PBS, they were planning to hold another rally on Wednesday in order to get more supporters.
The people who attended hoped any awareness that they can create might aid.
“We’re trying to push this issue over the border of Colorado and we’re working to increase awareness across the nation and help Rogel,” said Jessica Luna who is a student at University of Colorado, Denver. “I believe it’s about time for it to be…time to make a demand for action and to be an inch or two more progressive in our laws, something simple as the ability to distinguish between negligence and malice.”
