Current:Home > MyFormer Colorado police officer appeals conviction in Black man Elijah McClain’s death -NextFrontier Finance
Former Colorado police officer appeals conviction in Black man Elijah McClain’s death
View
Date:2025-04-19 07:24:44
DENVER (AP) — A former Colorado police officer is appealing his conviction by a jury for his role in the death of Eljiah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man who died after being stopped by police in a Denver suburb in 2019.
Lawyers for Randy Roedema filed a notice of appeal with the state appeals court on Wednesday.
A jury convicted Roedema last October of criminally negligent homicide, which is a felony, and misdemeanor third-degree assault. He was sentenced to 14 months in jail at a hearing last month in which McClain’s mother called him a “bully with a badge.”
McClain’s death received little attention in 2019 but gained renewed interest the following year as mass protests swept the nation over the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. It became a rallying cry for critics of racial injustice in policing.
McClain was stopped by police in Aurora as he walked home from a store while listening to music. At the time, he was wearing a face mask and a 911 caller reported he looked suspicious. Within seconds, another officer put his hands on McClain, beginning a struggle that lasted about 20 minutes before McClain was restrained and paramedics injected him with the powerful sedative ketamine.
The coroner’s office initally could not determine how McClain died, leading the local prosecutor to decide against bringing any criminal charges. But it updated the autopsy report in 2021, finding that McClain died of an overdose of ketamine after being forcibly restrained by police.
Roedema, who was fired from the Aurora Police Department after his conviction, was the only one of three police officers indicted in McClain’s death to be found guilty. The two others were acquitted. Two paramedics were convicted in December in the third trial and final trial of first responders in McClain’s death.
Roedema was tried with another officer, Jason Rosenblatt, and Roedema’s lawyers said the decision to join their trials together was among a list of issues they would be challenging. Another was whether his indictment should have been dismissed because of alleged errors in the instructions given to grand jurors. Other issues could still be raised when Roedema files an opening brief in the appeal, they said.
The state attorney general’s office, which prosecuted the case, had no comment on the appeal, spokesperson Lawrence Pacheco said.
veryGood! (4)
Related
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- Man wins $439,000 lottery prize just after buying North Carolina home
- Tennessee not entitled to Title X funds in abortion rule fight, appeals court rules
- Report says instructor thought gun was empty before firing fatal shot at officer during training
- Paige Bueckers vs. Hannah Hidalgo highlights women's basketball games to watch
- South Carolina prison director says electric chair, firing squad and lethal injection ready to go
- Bud Light rolls out limited-edition college football team cans: See which 26 teams made the cut
- NFL cuts 2024: Recapping major moves on Tuesday's roster cutdown day
- DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints
- 80-year-old man dies after falling off boat on the Grand Canyon's Colorado River
Ranking
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- Armie Hammer Reveals He’s Selling His Truck Since He “Can’t Afford the Gas Anymore”
- Cheerleader drops sexual harassment lawsuit against Northwestern University
- Why this is the best version of Naomi Osaka we've ever seen – regardless of the results
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- 'Having a blast': Video shows bear take a dip in a hot tub in California
- Missouri death row inmate gets another chance at a hearing that could spare his life
- What’s hot in theaters? Old movies — and some that aren’t so old
Recommendation
Chuck Scarborough signs off: Hoda Kotb, Al Roker tribute legendary New York anchor
Nonprofit Law Center Asks EPA to Take Over Water Permitting in N.C.
Travis Kelce Reacts to Adam Sandler’s Comments on Taylor Swift Romance
Errant ostrich brings traffic to a halt in South Dakota after escaping from a trailer
Federal Spending Freeze Could Have Widespread Impact on Environment, Emergency Management
Armie Hammer sells his truck to save money after cannibalism scandal
1 San Diego police officer dead, 1 in critical condition after pursuit crash
Reports: Veteran pitcher Rich Hill to rejoin Red Sox at age 44