Gov. Jared Polis today shortened the sentence of a truck driver convicted of four counts of vehicular homicide earlier this month from 110 years to 10 years.

Polis also commuted two other sentences, pardoned 15 individuals and signed an executive order granting 1,351 pardons for convictions of possession of two ounces or less of marijuana.  

The governor had been asked to commute the sentence for Rogel Aguilera-Mederos, the truck driver convicted of four counts of vehicular homicide, who was sentenced to 110 years in prison, which some called excessive. Aguilera-Mederos was also convicted of 23 other charges related to the April 2019 crash on I-70 in Lakewood, which caused a fiery 28-car pileup. A Jefferson County judge was scheduled to evaluate a request from the JeffCo district attorney to reduce the sentence to 20 to 30 years. That resentencing hearing was scheduled for Jan. 13.

The decision isn’t sitting well with Jefferson County District Attorney and fellow Democrat Alexis King, who criticized the governor’s action in a statement issued Thursday evening.

King said her office, from the beginning, has followed the process set forth in the law to “reach a just resolution of this case.”

“We are disappointed in the governor’s decision to act prematurely. I joined the surviving victims and families of those who lost their loved ones in their wish to have the trial judge determine an appropriate sentence in this case, as he heard the facts and evidence of the defendant’s destructive conduct that led to death, injury, and devastating destruction,” King said. “We are meeting with the victims and their loved ones this evening to support them in navigating this unprecedented action and to ensure they are treated with fairness, dignity, and respect during this difficult time. We look forward to sharing more information with our community that we were ethically prohibited from releasing while the case was pending.”

Attorney Leonard Martinez, who represented Aguilera-Mederos during the trial, said his client and his family are grateful. 

“We are very grateful for the governor’s thoughtful consideration throughout this process and for his willingness to grant clemency for a reduced sentence. The judge’s sentence of 110 years is unjust and not in line with prior case law, and we are thankful that the governor agrees with us,” Martinez said in a statement. “We are reviewing this commutation of the sentence with Rogel and his family. The potential for Rogel to be reunited with his family rather than spend a lifetime behind bars is exciting for all involved.” 

Aguilera-Mederos’ earliest parole date is Dec. 30, 2026, according to Polis’ order.  

In his letter to Aguilera-Mederos, Polis said he believes he deserves clemency for several reasons.

“You were sentenced to 110 years in prison, effectively more than a life sentence, for a tragic but unintentional act. While you are not blameless, your sentence is disproportionate compared with many other inmates in our criminal justice system who committed intentional, premeditated, or violent crimes,” the governor said. 

Polis added: “Your highly unusual sentence highlights the lack of uniformity between sentences for similarly situated crimes, which is particularly true when individuals are charged with offenses that require mandatory minimum sentences. This case will hopefully spur an important conversation about sentencing laws, but any subsequent changes to the law would not retroactively impact your sentence, which is why I am granting you this limited commutation.”

Polis noted Wednesday he had spoken to victims of the I-70 crash, although he said he denied a request to talk to Aguilera-Mederos’ parents.

Polis said during a Wednesday news conference at Hercules Industries that he would issue pardons for those convicted of possession of two ounces of marijuana, based on a new state law that took effect this year allowing possession for up to two ounces.

In addition to Aguilera-Mederos, Polis issued commutation orders for Ronald Johnson and Nicholas Wells, formerly of Colorado Springs. He granted Johnson parole effective Jan. 15, 2022 and said the Parole Board will set the terms and conditions. Wells will be eligible for parole on the same date.

Johnson has served 22 years of a 96-year sentence for theft, drug possession and forgery, and was convicted in 1999 under the state’s “habitual offender” law. His sentence had already been reduced once, by then-Gov. John Hickenlooper, with a parole date of 2027, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Johnson is considered medically vulnerable. A Change.org petition said Johnson, 63, is pre-diabetic, suffers from asthma and high blood pressure, and regularly uses an inhaler to breathe. 

Wells embarked on an 11-day crime spree in Douglas and Arapahoe counties in 2008. He was sentenced in 2010 as a habitual offender to 48 years in prison. He also had drug addiction issues.

While serving time at the Limon Correctional Facility, Wells discovered Redemption Road CrossFit, the first affiliate inside a prison. Wells lost 200 pounds, got sober, and is now a certified Level 2 CrossFit instructor, one of nine in the nation. He is employable at CrossFit gyms once he is released, according to Morning Chalkup, a Crossfit newsletter.

Last year, the governor commuted sentences for eight individuals, including for a man who defrauded the governor in an investment transaction. Polis also issued a pardon for the parents of the “balloon boy” and gave a mass pardon to 2,732 Coloradans convicted of low-level marijuana possession.

Clemency letters issued Dec. 30, 2021 by Gov. Jared Polis, including the letter commuting the sentence of Rogel Aguilera-Maderos from 110 to 10 years.

This story has been updated at 6 p.m. to include statements from Jefferson County District Attorney Alexis King and Aguilera-Mederos’s attorney, Leonard Martinez.