LAKEWOOD, Colo. (KDVR) — Footage obtained by FOX31 shows Rogel Aguilera-Mederos in a two-and-a-half hour interview with police, hours after a deadly 2019 crash for which he was convicted.
In the interview, Aguilera-Mederos speaks about his experience driving in the mountains and in Colorado.
“At that point he realizes he’s coming over the hill, he starts to apply brakes and they’re not working,” an unidentified Lakewood police officer interpreting for Aguilera-Mederos said.
A visibly injured Aguilera-Mederos limped up from his seat after being questioned for more than two hours following the deadly crash on Interstate-70.
Asked by the police interpreter if it was his first time driving a car in Colorado, Aguilera-Mederos replied no.
Aguilera-Mederos told investigators he’s driven through Colorado three times.
He added he made a detour on his trip to I-70 because he needed to fill up and he knew diesel prices were lower on this route.
“So he said he’s driven I-70 three or four times,” the unidentified police interpreter said.
New footage obtained by FOX31 showed Aguilera-Mederos in his truck, speeding past traffic on I-70.
Another angle showed his truck speeding out of view, moments later and a black plume of smoke comes into frame.
Aguilera-Mederos said in his own words he’s driven in mountainous terrain in Utah, Montana and Washington state.
“As he’s seeing the runaway off-ramp, that’s when realizes the brakes aren’t working,” the unidentified police interpreter said.
Aguilera-Mederos clarified to investigators why he didn’t use the runaway truck ramp.
“He sees the sign, but in terms of seeing the actual roadway, for the runaway trucks to get on, he never saw that,” the unidentified police interpreter said.
Aguilera-Mederos had originally been sentenced to 110 years in prison but after public outcry, in late December, Gov. Jared Polis granted him clemency, reducing his sentence to 10 years.
He’ll be eligible for parole in December 2026.