Jury reaches verdict in trial of 3 officers charged in Manuel Ellis' death
ABC News
A jury has reached a verdict in the trial of three officers charged in the 2020 death of Manuel "Manny" Ellis while in police custody in Tacoma, Washington.
A jury has reached its verdict in the trial of three officers charged in the 2020 death of Manuel "Manny" Ellis while in police custody in Tacoma, Washington.
Christopher Burbank, 38, and Matthew Collins, 40, are charged with second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter, while Timothy Rankine, 34, is charged with first-degree manslaughter.
All three officers pleaded not guilty but could face a maximum of life in prison and a $50,000 fine if convicted, according to the Washington Legislature.
The jury began deliberating on Dec. 14, but the jury was asked to restart twice, as alternate jurors needed to be called in. On Monday, a juror's status was changed "from seated to alternate because of their unavailability due to a family concern," the superior court said, and an alternate juror joined the 11 other seated members to restart deliberations. Then on Tuesday, a juror tested positive for COVID-19, the court said, and an alternate juror was called.
Ellis, an unarmed, 33-year-old Black man, died on March 3, 2020, after he was restrained, beaten, tased and put in a spit mask by law enforcement, according to prosecutors. In a video of the encounter, Ellis can be heard pleading wit the officers, saying, "Can't breathe, sir, can't breathe."
