Woodyard had pleaded not guilty to charges of reckless manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide in connection with McClain’s death.
The officer remains suspended from the department without pay, pending the outcome of the trial.
Prosecutors initially declined to bring charges against the officers and paramedics involved in McClain’s death, but the case received renewed scrutiny following the nationwide Black Lives Matter protests in the spring of 2020.
Jared Polis appointed a special prosecutor to reexamine the case, and in 2021 a grand jury indicted Woodyard, two other officers and two paramedics in McClain’s death.
Two paramedics who treated McClain, Jeremy Cooper and Peter Cichuniec, are set to go on trial in the coming weeks.
Persons:
Nathan Woodyard, Elijah McClain, Woodyard, McClain, Philip Weiser, Weiser, Sheneen McClain, “, ” “, she’s, ”, I’ve, ” Sheneen McClain, MiDian Holmes, Prosecutors, Jared Polis, Woodyard’s, Roger Mitchell Jr, David Beuther, Randy Roedema, Jason Rosenblatt, Roedema, Rosenblatt, Jeremy Cooper, Peter Cichuniec
Organizations:
CNN, Aurora, Colorado, Colorado Gov, Prosecutors
Locations:
Colorado, Aurora