A Denver-area police officer was convicted of homicide on Thursday while another officer was acquitted of all charges in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain, a Black man who was subjected to excessive force and a fatal dose of ketamine by paramedics. The verdict was delivered by a 12-person jury, finding Officer Randy Roedema guilty of criminally negligent homicide and third-degree assault. Officer Jason Rosenblatt was found not guilty. Roedema, who maintained a bowed head after the verdict, could face up to three years in prison. Meanwhile, Rosenblatt expressed his gratitude to his supporters as he left the court.
The mother of McClain, Sheneen McClain, listened to the verdict from the front row with Attorney General Phil Weiser by her side. She raised her right hand high in a defiant gesture as she exited the courtroom, expressing disappointment in the outcome. Both Roedema and Rosenblatt faced charges of manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, and second-degree assault, but the jury was asked to consider a lesser form of assault for Roedema, the charge he was ultimately found guilty of. Another Aurora officer and two paramedics also faced charges in connection with the incident.
Roedema and the uncharged officer restrained McClain while the paramedics administered the ketamine. During the trial, Rosenblatt’s attorney emphasized that he was not near McClain during this time. Attorneys for both defendants claimed that McClain’s death was caused by the ketamine. Roedema’s attorney argued that the officers were compelled to react when McClain resisted and allegedly reached for one of their guns, a claim disputed by the prosecutors. Sentencing is scheduled for January 5, 2024. McClain, a 23-year-old massage therapist, was stopped on August 24, 2019, while wearing a face mask and listening to music. He had requested to be left alone and had not been accused of any crime. (McClain’s final words have become a rallying cry.)
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