AURORA, Colo. — Sheneen McClain called Randy Roedema – the only officer convicted in her son's death – "a bully with a badge" who could never wash her son's blood off his hands, just before a judge sentenced him to more than a year in jail Friday afternoon.
In October, an Adams County jury convicted now-former officer Randy Roedema of criminally negligent homicide and third-degree assault for his actions in McClain’s death. Two other officers who were charged in the case were found not guilty.
On Friday, Judge Mark Warner gave Roedema a sentence of 14 months in jail for the third-degree assault charge. He was given 90 days in jail and four years of probation for the criminally negligent homicide charge, which will be served concurrently. That means he will only serve a total of 14 months. His sentence is authorized to be served as work release instead of straight jail. He must also perform two hours of community service.
"What Randy Roedema did to my son Elijah McClain that night is called murder," Sheneen McClain told the court ahead of the sentencing. "No matter what happens here today, no matter what Randy Roedema is sentenced to, he will always be a bully with a badge on that used his power in some of the most horrific and evil ways."
> Watch below: Sheneen McClain's full statement to the court ahead of sentencing:
Roedema himself spoke at the hearing and started by expressing his condolences to the McClain family.
"I cannot imagine the agony they must feel on a day-to-day basis. I know that I would be devastated if I lost any of my children, and I hate that the McClain family has to go through this," he said. "At the same time, I do not think there is anything I can say that will make this OK. In fact, I know I don't."
Sheneen McClain said Roedema robbed her son of ever becoming an uncle, father or grandfather.
"Randy Roedema stole my son's life," she said as part of her statement to the court. "All of the belated apologies in the world cannot remove my son's blood from Randy's hands."
Roedema was among five first responders indicted in the case. He and fellow Aurora officers Nathan Woodyard and Jason Rosenblatt stopped, restrained and subdued McClain near East Colfax Avenue and Billings Street on Aug. 24 2019, after a 911 caller reported he was wearing a ski mask and seemed “sketchy.” That struggle intensified after Roedema alleged that McClain tried to grab Rosenblatt’s gun – an assertion that prosecutors repeatedly questioned during the trial.
During the struggle, McClain was placed in a carotid hold, which can cut off the oxygen supply to the brain. At one point, after McClain was handcuffed and on the ground, Roedema was seen in body worn camera footage appearing to pick up McClain and slam him back into the ground. The move was described in court testimony by some witnesses as a "body slam."
Roedema's attorneys asked for leniency and pointed out that he had no prior criminal history and had served his country as a Marine before he was wounded in Iraq in 2007, which ended his military career.
Two men he served with and his sister spoke on his behalf.
"It has been disheartening seeing someone like Randy being portrayed as a malicious person," said his sister, Kayleine Roedema. "It hurts me because I know him, and I know better. ... It's so hard for me to imagine how it could be beneficial for him to serve time in jail when he, in my mind and my heart, has always done so well, serving his country and others, including his community, for his entire adult life."
"Where was Randy Roedema's humanity and kindness that night?" Sheneen McClain said, referencing the night of his struggle with officers. "There was no reason for Randy Roedema to put his knee in my son's back and sit on my son's chest. Randy heard my son cry and beg for his life."
Multiple medical experts testified at the trial that the struggle with police left McClain in a vulnerable state. Besides experiencing low levels of oxygen in his body, he vomited and inhaled some of it, exacerbating that situation. And he suffered a spike in acid in his bloodstream.
He said repeatedly that he could not breathe.
Later that same night, Aurora Fire Rescue paramedics Jeremy Cooper and Peter Cichuniec injected McClain with the sedative ketamine. His heart stopped, and he later died.
During Friday's hearing, attorneys for Roedema indicated they plan to appeal his conviction based on the fact that his trial was not held separately from that of Rosenblatt. They also cited "inconsistent" verdicts. They asked the judge to allow bond for Roedema during the appeal process, but that request was denied.
Rosenblatt, who was acquitted of the charges against him by the same jury that convicted Roedema, had previously been fired for responding “ha ha” to a photo other officers took mocking McClain. Woodyard was acquitted in a separate trial and has begun the process of returning to the police force.
Last month, in the third and final trial, a jury found Cooper and Cichuniec guilty of criminally negligent homicide. The jury found Cooper not guilty of second-degree assault with intent to cause bodily harm and not guilty of second-degree assault for administering drugs without consent. The jury found Cichuniec guilty of second-degree assault for administering drugs without consent and acquitted him of second-degree assault with intent to cause bodily harm.
Cichuniec faces a sentence ranging from probation to 16 years in prison. Cooper is also eligible for probation but could be sentenced to as much as six years behind bars.
They are scheduled to be sentenced on March 1. Following their convictions, both were formally terminated from Aurora Fire Rescue.
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