First trial on Elijah McClain's death returns guilty verdict for one officer, not guilty for another. A trial begins today for another officer, and next month 2 paramedics are being tried.
Jurors in the first of three criminal trials stemming from the 2019 death of Elijah McClain following a violent arrest by Aurora police have reached a verdict.
www.denverpost.com
Jurors delivered a split verdict Thursday in the trial of two Aurora police officers charged in the death of
Elijah McClain, convicting one officer but acquitting the other after nearly three weeks of testimony.
The jury found Aurora police officer Randy Roedema, 41, guilty of criminally negligent homicide and third-degree assault — the two lesser charges he faced.
Jurors acquitted former officer Jason Rosenblatt, 34, on all charges. He put his head in his hands on the defense table after the verdict, then cried as he hugged supporters and his attorneys. He had been charged with reckless manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and second-degree assault.
Roedema sat quietly when the verdict was read and did not comment when he left the courtroom. Some of his supporters wept when they heard the guilty verdict. Criminally negligent homicide is a low-level felony, while third-degree assault is a misdemeanor.
The split verdict brings to an end the first of three criminal trials in a case that spanned four years, sparked major protests in Denver and Aurora, led to statewide reforms and a push to change policing practices in Aurora. Another police officer and two paramedics are scheduled to stand trial in the coming weeks.
Sheneen McClain, Elijah’s mother, raised her fist in the air as she left the courtroom Thursday evening after the verdicts.
“This is the divided states of America, and that’s what happens,” she said after she left the courthouse. “I’m out. I’m too pissed to talk.”
Rosenblatt’s defense attorney, Harvey Steinberg, said he was pleased with the acquittal.
“We’re thrilled,” Steinberg said after the verdict. “I’m saddened, quite honestly, that Mr. Roedema was convicted. But ultimately, I always felt that my client should never have been charged. The government spent literally millions of taxpayer money to go after my client, and I think they did that inappropriately. And I’m glad the jury saw through it.”
Roedema will return to Adams County District Court to be sentenced on Jan. 5, while the case against Rosenblatt is now over. Roedema could face between one and three years in prison on the homicide conviction and up to 24 months in jail on the assault conviction.