Who is Nathan Woodyard? Aurora cop who put Elijah McClain in neck hold found not guilty in manslaughter case
AURORA, COLORADO: Aurora police officer Nathan Woodyard has been found not guilty in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man who died after being placed in a chokehold and administered a potent sedative.
The officer had previously entered a not-guilty plea to the counts of criminally negligent murder and reckless manslaughter in connection with McClain’s death.
On Monday, November 6, 2023, a 12-person jury deliberated for one day before announcing the verdict, apparently accepting Woodyard’s defense that he followed his training during the encounter.
The officer remains suspended from the department without pay, pending the outcome of the trial.
The jury’s verdict came several weeks after Randy Roedema, a second officer, was found guilty of third-degree assault and criminally negligent murder in McClain’s death.
Previously, former Aurora officer Jason Rosenblatt was also acquitted of reckless manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, and assault in relation to the shocking 2019 incident.
How did Elijah McClain die?
Elijah McClain was walking home from a convenience store on August 24, 2019, when Woodyard confronted him in the Denver suburb of Aurora, as per Daily Mail.
During a weeks-long trial, prosecutors claim that within eight seconds of getting out of his police cruiser, Woodyard grabbed McClain without giving a reason for why he wanted to speak with him.
Colorado Assistant Attorney General Jason Slothouber informed the jury that Woodyard decided to intensify the conflict, not listening to what McClain was saying and ignoring the police department’s policy on de-escalation.
“Elijah McClain was walking home, he was dancing. As he told the defendant he was stopping the music to listen,” Slothouber said, adding, “There was no need for this escalation of violence.”
The confrontation rapidly escalated after officers Roedema, and Rosenblatt threw McClain on the ground, and Woodyard put him in a neck hold and pressed against his carotid artery, briefly knocking him out.
Officers said before investigators that they subdued McClain upon hearing Roedema say, "He grabbed your gun, dude."
McClain was later injected with a fatal overdose of ketamine by paramedics. He went into cardiac arrest en route to the hospital and died days later.
The charges against the three officers came after another officer Erica Marrero, Kyle Dittrich, and Jaron Jones staged a chokehold imitation for pictures near the scene of McClain's death two months prior on October 2.
During the trial, the defendant’s lawyers stressed through the weekslong trial that the officer walked away during part of the nighttime confrontation after initially being called away by his supervisor.
They claimed that he was not with McClain as his health deteriorated and other cops persisted in shackling him.
“These important facts don’t conflict with the fact that Nathan Woodyard did not kill Elijah McClain,” Defense attorney Andrew Ho said, adding, “It’s the ketamine that killed Elijah McClain.”
However, Slothouber refuted the defense’ argument saying, “But the version of the defendant that Elijah McClain got is the one who caused his death by ignoring his training, ignoring Elijah’s claims and pleas for help, that he can’t breathe and that is exactly the story he was trained to avoid. That is why he’s guilty.”
How did Elijah McClain’s family react to the verdict?
In a statement after the verdict, Aurora Police Chief Art Acevedo admitted that an abundance of people had been anticipating Monday's verdict.
"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,” he said according to NBC News.
McClain’s mother Sheneen McClain said she no longer has faith in the justice system after the verdict.
“My son was murdered by killer cops and their accomplices," she said, adding, "And the system, the justice system, allows them to continue with their crimes.”