Current:Home > StocksLawyers to deliver closing arguments in trial of 2 police officers charged in Elijah McClain’s death-LoTradeCoin
Lawyers to deliver closing arguments in trial of 2 police officers charged in Elijah McClain’s death
View Date:2025-01-14 11:45:31
DENVER (AP) — Lawyers will deliver closing arguments Tuesday in the trial of the first two police officers to be prosecuted in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain, a Black man who was put in a neck hold and pinned down by officers in a Denver suburb before paramedics injected him with a powerful sedative.
McClain was stopped while walking home from a convenience store on a summer night, listening to music and wearing a mask that covered most of his face. A 911 caller reported him as suspicious and the police stop quickly became physical with McClain, a 23-year-old massage therapist seemingly caught off guard, asking to be left alone. He had not been accused of committing any crime.
Prosecution witnesses testified that the sedative ketamine killed McClain. But prosecutors also offered medical testimony that the restraint of McClain by Aurora officers Randy Roedema and Jason Rosenblatt triggered a series of health problems that made it hard for McClain to breathe and more vulnerable to a fatal overdose.
Defense attorneys did not call any witnesses, instead using questions for prosecution witnesses to make their case that the officers did not cause McClain’s death.
Roedema and Rosenblatt are charged with manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and second-degree assault — all felonies. An assault conviction carries the most serious penalty, up to 16 years in prison.
Officer Nathan Woodyard — whose trial starts Friday— was the first to stop McClain. Within 10 seconds, Woodyard put his hands on McClain and turned him around. As McClain tried to escape his grip, Woodyard said, “Relax, or I’m going to have to change this situation.”
The encounter quickly escalated, with Woodyard, Roedema and Rosenblatt taking McClain to the ground and Woodyard putting him in a neck hold by pressing against his carotid artery, temporarily rendering him unconscious. The officers later told investigators they took McClain down after hearing Roedema say, “He grabbed your gun dude.”
This moment can be heard but not seen on body camera video. The extensive video of the moments leading to his death were shown repeatedly to jurors.
Two paramedics, Jeremy Cooper and Peter Cichuniec, were also charged in McClain’s death and are scheduled to go on trial in November.
The local district attorney did not pursue criminal charges in 2019, but the case was re-examined in 2020 after Gov. Jared Polis asked state Attorney General Philip Weiser to investigate amid protests over police brutality against Black people following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Roedema and Woodyard are currently suspended without pay, Rosenblatt is the only officer involved in the incident who was fired — not for the fatal encounter itself, but for making light of other officers’ reenactment of the neck hold.
veryGood! (379)
Related
- Amazon Best Books of 2024 revealed: Top 10 span genres but all 'make you feel deeply'
- What exactly is soy lecithin? This food additive is more common than you might think.
- Lawsuit alleges plot to run sham candidate so DeSantis appointee can win election
- How many points did Caitlin Clark score today? Rookie breaks WNBA assist record in setback
- Should Georgia bench Carson Beck with CFP at stake against Tennessee? That's not happening
- Man pleads guilty in Indiana mall shooting that wounded one person last year
- Injured reserve for Christian McCaffrey? 49ers star ruled out again for Week 2
- All welcome: Advocates fight to ensure citizens not fluent in English have equal access to elections
- Whoopi Goldberg calling herself 'a working person' garners criticism from 'The View' fans
- Going once, going twice: Google’s millisecond ad auctions are the focus of monopoly claim
Ranking
- NBA today: Injuries pile up, Mavericks are on a skid, Nuggets return to form
- Surgeon general's warning: Parenting may be hazardous to your health
- NFL bold predictions: Which players and teams will surprise in Week 2?
- Teen Mom's Jenelle Evans Reacts After Son Jace Says He Feels Safer Without Her Ex David Eason
- Best fits for Corbin Burnes: 6 teams that could match up with Cy Young winner
- What is the NFL's concussion protocol? Explaining league's rules for returning
- Robert De Niro slams Donald Trump: 'He's a jerk, an idiot'
- Why Dave Coulier Respects Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen’s Different Perspective on Full House
Recommendation
-
Black and Latino families displaced from Palm Springs neighborhood reach $27M tentative settlement
-
Harris is promoting her resume and her goals rather than race as she courts Black voters
-
A look at Harvey Weinstein’s health and legal issues as he faces more criminal charges
-
Air Canada urges government to intervene as labor dispute with pilots escalates
-
Younghoo Koo takes blame for Falcons loss to Saints: 'This game is fully on me'
-
Kate Gosselin’s Lawyer Addresses Her Son Collin’s Abuse Allegations
-
Former ALF Child Star Benji Gregory's Cause of Death Revealed
-
What is the NFL's concussion protocol? Explaining league's rules for returning