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DENVER (KDVR) — Gov. Polis continues to receive backlash for commuting Rogel Aguilera-Mederos’ prison sentence while the case was still pending.

District attorneys warned Polis that he created “a troubling precedent” on Tuesday in a letter.

In the letter, District Attorneys Michael Dougherty and Daniel Rubenstein — a Democrat and a Republican, respectively — agreed that the 110-year sentence in the deadly interstate crash “was too severe.” But they stressed that by commuting the sentence to 10 years before a judge could weigh in, he sidestepped the system.

Read full letter from district attorney to PolisDownload

Polis’ office responded on Wednesday morning, saying that the governor used his legal authority to step in and fix the sentence Aguilera-Mederos received.

“Governor Polis is a problem-solver and when he saw a problem like a bizarre 110-year sentence that undermined confidence in our criminal justice system, he used his legal authority to step in and fix it. Governor Polis has been clear about his thoughtful process and evaluates each clemency application individually, understands the weighty responsibility that comes with each decision and follows the law in making a decision,” the governor’s office shared.

The governor’s office said he looked at Aguilera-Mederos’ sentence and did not consider a pardon or full commutation, but instead, “brought the sentence in line with how others have been punished for similar crimes.”

“The individual is guilty and is serving his sentence. There was clearly an urgency to remedy this sentence and restore confidence in the uniformity and fairness of our criminal justice system. Let the punishment fit the crime is a basic tenant of justice, and Coloradans are relieved to know that the punishment now fits the crime in this case,” the governor’s office said.

Aguilera-Mederos was convicted of 27 counts, including vehicular homicide, in October. His 110-year sentence was the result of mandatory minimum sentencing laws that apply to crimes of violence, or any offense in which a person is killed or suffers serious bodily injury.

The sentence, handed down Dec. 13, stoked outrage around the globe and an online campaign for commutation. On Dec. 30, Polis used his gubernatorial power to drop the sentence to 10 years. It happened just two weeks before a scheduled resentencing hearing was set to begin.

Aguilera-Mederos will be eligible for parole on Dec. 30, 2026.