Thomas Hamner pleaded guilty in May to interfering with law enforcement during a civil disorder. He will be on supervised release for three years after his prison term
sentencing
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Gov. Polis wasn’t too lenient. Colorado’s sentencing laws are too harsh.
The 110-year prison sentence imposed upon truck driver Rogel Aguilera-Mederos was extreme, and Governor Polis achieved the right result by using his executive power of clemency to correct this injustice. While so much about the case was exceptional, the sentence itself was no outlier. Colorado’s sentencing laws are incredibly complicated, and often produce eye-popping sentences. […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News
Trucker’s 110-year sentence in fatal I-70 crash spotlights Colorado’s mandatory-minimum sentencing laws
By Shelly Bradbury, The Denver Post The 110-year prison sentence meted out Dec. 13 to the truck driver who killed four people when he lost his brakes on Interstate 70 put a renewed spotlight on Colorado’s mandatory-minimum sentencing laws and on district attorneys’ ability to use such laws to ensure convictions lead to prison time. […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Zornio: 110 years in prison for I-70 truck driver is too much, his sentence should be commuted
By now, Coloradans know the tragic story. On April 25, 2019, 23-year-old Rogel Aguilera-Mederos drove his company’s semi-truck through the Rocky Mountains for the first time. After successfully navigating several challenging descents, the brakes in his truck failed. Heading toward Denver on I-70, the loaded semi-truck began hurtling downhill at increasingly dangerous speeds. The young […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Nicolais: The 110-year prison sentence in a fatal truck crash is a cry for change
Nearly three years after the fact, the truck driven by Rogel Aguilera-Mederos continues to leave wreckage in its wake. His 110-year sentence left both his life and mandatory minimum sentencing policies in tatters. While a petition to change Aguilera-Mederos’ sentence has already garnered two million signatures online, the real dilemma is what should be done […]