AURORA, Colo. — The last of the three trials related to the death of Elijah McClain is expected to begin this week.
Jury selection will begin Monday in the trial of Jeremy Cooper and Peter Cichuniec, who were called to the scene in 2019 as paramedics with Aurora Fire Rescue. The two will be tried together in Adams County District Court.
On Aug. 24, 2019, Aurora Police Department officers contacted McClain while he was walking home from a convenience store where he'd gone to pick up a drink. Three days later, on Aug. 27, he died at the hospital.
More than two years later, a grand jury indicted the pair of paramedics along with three officers. One of those officers, Randy Roedema, was convicted in October of criminally negligent homicide and third-degree assault. Jason Rosenblatt, who was tried at the same time, was acquitted of both counts he faced. The third officer, Nathan Woodyard, was acquitted in a separate trial that concluded in November.
Cooper and Cichuniec are each facing charges that include reckless manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and three counts of second-degree assault.
"In the trial of the officers, the finger was continuously pointed at the paramedics, not just by the defense but also by the prosecution," 9NEWS Legal Analyst Scott Robinson said. "So the focus of the paramedics' lawyers is going to be to try to deflect some of that blame back on the officers and to cast doubt on the veracity of the opinion that it was ketamine that killed Elijah McClain."
In the prior trials, each defense team pointed to the ketamine as being the main contributing factor. Robinson expects the defense will try to point out the coroner had initially listed McClain's death as "undetermined." An amended autopsy report later said McClain's cause of death was complications from ketamine administration following "forcible arrest."
"One of the odd things about this case that I’m sure the defense will emphasize is that there was an initial autopsy report that was very different than the revised or amended report, which placed the blame on the administration of ketamine. I anticipate that the defense lawyers for both of the paramedics will go after the coroner pretty strongly about what would have motivated a change of opinion in the cause of Elijah McClain's death," Robinson said.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Elijah McClain death