Opening arguments were made Tuesday, in the trial of the 3rd police officer accused of killing Elijah McClain in 2019. Suspended officer Nathan Woodyard was the first cop responding to a 911 call, that a young man was wearing a “ski mask” and in the caller’s words, “acting sketchy.” He was actually walking home from a convenience store, carrying 3 iced teas, doing nothing wrong…
(Woodyard Opening Arguments 1:07)
The defense claimed in its opening, Woodyard could’ve been confronting a mass murderer…
231018 defense attorney- no way to know :10 Q:…movie theater…
James Holmes killed a dozen people and injured 70 in an Aurora theater 11 years ago. The prosecution immediately objected to that characterization, and the openings continued. Woodyard is documented to have had his hands on McClain within 8 seconds of arriving that night, putting him in a choke hold in the first couple minutes. The defense claims none of that warrants a reckless manslaughter conviction. It says the true killer in the case was the dose of the anesthetic ketamine, administered moments later. But prosecutors paint Woodyard as the catalyst, starting a series of medical issues that eventually led to McClain’s death…
231018 prosecution- Woodyard responsible :09 Q:…to intercede…
Over a total 18-minute confrontation, Woodyard was only physically in contact with McClain for the first 5 minutes. Those are said by the prosecution to be some of the last conscious moments of Elijah’s life. The trial’s expected to go on a few weeks. The paramedics who gave McClain the shot of ketamine will be tried in November.