Colorado prosecutors are moving forward with efforts to have a trucker’s 110-year sentence reexamined. The move comes after growing national outrage at a punishment that many deem does not fit the crime.

26-year-old truck driver Rogel Aguilera-Mederos was found guilty in October on four counts of vehicular homicide and 23 other charges related to a deadly semi-tractor trailer crash that killed four other drivers and injured several more. Aguilera-Mederos was driving down Interstate 70 when he claimed his brakes failed him. His semi-tractor trailer came to a stop only after crashing into stopped traffic.

Aguilera-Mederos was sentenced on December 13 and was given the mandatory minimum sentence on all counts. A combination of the types of charges he faced, the number of charges, and Colorado’s sentencing laws required that Aguilera-Mederos serve the sentences consecutively, not concurrently. Even with the mandatory minimum, the baffling sentence of 110 years ultimately leaves Aguilera-Mederos serving the rest of his life behind bars.

Earlier this week, Colorado governor Jared Polis shared that his office would be looking over Aguilera-Mederos’ application for clemency. On the same day, First Judicial District Attorney Alexis King filed a motion asking for the sentence to be reconsidered. The motion explains, “As Colorado law required the imposition of the sentence in this case, the law also permits the Court to reconsider its sentence in an exceptional case involving unusual and extenuating circumstances.”

News of the verdict quickly circulated online, prompting overwhelming support for the courts to overturn the 110-year sentence. An online petition has garnered millions of signatures in support of Aguilera-Mederos. The national attention on the case has also shed light on Colorado’s mandatory sentencing laws. Supporters of Aguilera-Mederos along with big-name celebrities like Kim Kardashian have weighed in on the need to change the sentencing laws so that punishments are proportional to the crimes committed.

Aguilera-Mederos gave a compelling statement to the court in which he accepted responsibility and expressed extreme remorse, explaining that his actions were not intentional. “I know it has been hard and heartbreaking for everyone involved," he shared in front of Judge A. Bruce Jones before the sentence was handed down. " I can't sleep. I think all the time about the victims. A part of me will be missing forever, as well."

Judge Jones recognized Aguilera-Mederos’ remorse and shared with the court, "In all victim impact statements I read, I did not glean from them someone saying, 'He should be in prison for the rest of his life, and he should never, ever get out. Far from it. There was forgiveness reflected in those statements, but also a desire that he be punished and serve time in prison, and I share those sentiments."

However, Judge Jones also expressed that although he had “no desire” to send Aguilera-Mederos to prison for life, he had to impose the mandatory minimum sentence to all the counts Aguilera-Mederos was convicted as required by Colorado law. "If I had the discretion, it would not be my sentence," Jones shared.

Some family members of those killed in the crash also weighed in on the hefty sentence. Duane Bailey, the brother of William Bailey who died in the crash, shared with Good Morning America, "I think we all can agree that [110 years] is excessive.” Bailey adds however that the jury "came to the correct decision to convict [Mederos]”.

Gage Evans, William Bailey’s widow, hinted that there may be a benefit in looking at the law, but shares that Aguilera-Mederos ultimately bears responsibility for what happened.

"We're not saying that there can't be changes in the law looked at, but a petition to go someplace else other than the legal system is not the way to do it," Evans shared. "He is a young man who made very bad decisions. And he has to understand that decisions have consequences."

The petition explained that Aguilera-Mederos did not have a criminal history or any negative hits on his driving record. "This accident was not intentional, nor was it a criminal act on the driver's part,” the petition reads. ”No one but the trucking company he is/was employed by should be held accountable for this accident. No, we are not trying to make it seem any less of a tragic accident than it is because yes, lives were lost. We are trying to hold the person who needs to be held responsible, responsible. The trucking company has had several inspections since 2017, with several mechanical violations."

Prosecutors in his case argued that Aguilera-Mederos did not take necessary and available steps to avoid the crash. Prosecutors pointed to a runaway truck ramp that Aguilera-Mederos failed to use and explained that he could have steered his truck in another direction, not toward the stopped traffic where he ultimately crashed.