Closing Arguments Begin in Trial of Officer Charged in Elijah McClain's 2019 Death

Officer Nathan Woodyard, charged with reckless manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide, defends his actions in court, claiming he feared for his life during the encounter with Elijah McClain; two other officers previously faced mixed verdicts for the same incident.

Nathan Woodyard, a suspended Aurora police officer, faces charges of reckless manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide tied to the 2019 death of Elijah McClain, with closing arguments in his trial scheduled on November 3, 2023.
Officer Woodyard is the third officer tried in connection with McClain's death, following mixed verdicts for Randy Roedema and Jason Rosenblatt, other officers present at the scene.
The case focuses on the events of August 24, 2019, when 23-year-old McClain was stopped by police while walking home from a store wearing a ski mask, a confrontation that concluded with police placing McClain in a carotid hold and paramedics sedating him with ketamine, ultimately causing his heart to stop.
Following the encounter, Woodyard testified that if given the chance to redo the situation, he would have approached it differently and attempted to talk more with McClain.
During the trial, the prosecutor stated that Woodyard violated the Aurora Police Department’s de-escalation policy within seconds of contact with McClain, while the defense argued that none of Woodyard's actions, including the carotid hold, led to McClain’s death.