AURORA, Colo. — Aurora's police chief and Colorado's attorney general released statements Monday after a jury found Nathan Woodyard not guilty in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain.
Woodyard was found not guilty Monday of reckless manslaughter and of the lesser included charge of criminally negligent homicide.
“As previously stated, I know many have been waiting a long time for the involved party to have his day in court," Aurora Police Chief Art Acevedo said in a statement after the verdict was read. "As a nation, we must be committed to the rule of law. As such, we hold the American judicial process in high regard. We respect the verdict handed down by the jury, and thank the members of the jury for their thoughtful deliberation and service. Due to the additional pending trial, the Aurora Police Department is precluded from further comment at this time."
Woodyard was suspended from the department without pay pending the outcome of the trial. When asked the status of Woodyard's employment Monday, an Aurora city spokesperson said they don't yet know what the next steps will be, but the city charter will guide those steps.
In 2020, Gov. Jared Polis assigned a special prosecutor, the Colorado Attorney General's Office, to investigate McClain's death. Attorney General Phil Weiser released a statement after the verdict that said:
Since the Governor appointed our office as special prosecutors to investigate and hold accountable those whose actions led to the death of Elijah McClain, we have taken our responsibility seriously, guided by the facts and the law. We knew these were going to be difficult cases to prosecute. In the pursuit of justice, and to honor the grand jury’s decision, we committed to take these cases to trial. Today’s verdict is not the one we hoped for, but we respect the jury system and accept this outcome. I thank the jurors for serving and performing their civic duty.
I am proud of and grateful for the hard work of our dedicated trial team. They presented a strong case against the officer involved in the death of Elijah McClain. The trial of the paramedics starts later this month, and I know the team handling that case will do their best work.
We remain undeterred in our pursuit of accountability and justice for Elijah McClain and his family and friends. I’m thinking of Sheneen McClain, who has fought hard to keep her son’s memory alive. No mother should go through what she has. We must do all we can to stop the unlawful and unnecessary use of force that can result in people dying at the hands of law enforcement. As I’ve said before, only then will we truly have justice and public safety.
Woodyard was the third officer tried in McClain's death. The first trial ended in a split verdict, with the jury acquitting Jason Rosenblatt of all charges and convicting Randy Roedema of criminally negligent homicide and third-degree assault.
The trial of Jeremy Cooper and Peter Cichuniec, the paramedics who responded to the call, is set to begin on Nov. 27.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Elijah McClain death