ETX Daily Up
#NoTrucksToColorado: Social media and Kim Kardashian West call for justice for a young trucker
Kim Kardashian spoke out on the case of Rogel Aguilera-Mederos, a truck driver sentenced to 110 years in prison.
The internet avengers have struck again. Kim Kardashian West -- and over 4.5 million people -- are calling for justice for Rogel Lazaro Aguilera-Mederos. This young truck driver was sentenced to 110 years in prison for an accident that killed four people when his brakes failed. Since then, the hashtag #NoTrucksToColorado has gained momentum on social media.
Fellow truckers and other internet users have rallied around the #NoTrucksToColorado hashtag in response to the case of Rogel Lazaro Aguilera-Mederos. The trucker, who was 23 years old at the time of the incident, was sentenced to 110 years in prison in the state of Colorado after causing the death of four people in a traffic accident that occurred April 25, 2019. The driver reported that his brakes failed while he was on a downhill stretch of highway. His wild ride ended at more than 130 mph when he collided with cars that were stopped due to an accident.
Faced with the sentence, deemed excessive by truckers, many protested both on the roads and on social networks. On TikTok, the hashtag #NoTrucksToColorado has reached 10.9 million views and other keywords continue to be created in response to the case. "My truck will no longer go to Colorado for the next 110 years," reads a video posted on TikTok.
Kim Kardashian to the rescue
A petition has been launched on Change.org asking the authorities to reduce the trucker's prison sentence or grant him clemency. More than 4.7 million people have already signed the petition, which is now aiming for 6 million signatures.
The judge himself expressed a certain sadness in announcing the sentence of 110 years in prison to Rogel Aguilera-Mederos, stating that if he could, he would not have imposed the 110 years in jail. Many internet users, and even Kim Kardashian West , have denounced Colorado's mandatory minimum sentencing laws: "Colorado law really has to be changed and this is so unfair. @GovofCO is a really good person and I know he will do the right thing," wrote Kim Kardashian West on Twitter , appealing to the governor of Colorado, Jared Polis, in the process.
The businesswoman also took exception to a post from the prosecutor, Kayla Wildeman, after the verdict: "For some reason the prosecutor thought it would be funny to post a photo of a brake shoe trophy she received from a colleague with a plaque? Makes me so sick," she tweeted .
Faced with mounting pressure on social networks, the district attorney's office said it had "filed a motion to start the reconsideration process," requesting a new hearing "as soon as practicable," reports ABC News.
Colorado law really has to be changed and this is so unfair. @GovofCO is a really good person and I know he will do the right thing.
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) December 21, 2021
And yet, for some reason the prosecutor thought it would be funny to post a photo of a brake shoe trophy she received from a colleague with a plaque? Makes me so sick.
Sabrina Alili