Only one cop will serve jail time and probation for his role in the death of 23-year-old Elijah McClain.
Former Colorado police officer Randy Roedema was sentenced last week by a judge to spend 14 months in jail after he was found guilty of criminally negligent homicide and third-degree assault. He’ll serve out his time behind bars in a county facility rather than a state prison, as ordered by Judge Mark Warner.
Warner could have sentenced Roedema to up to three years for the felony homicide conviction, but his decision ultimately came down to what he perceived as Roedema’s “good character” and “rehabilitative potential.” He added that Warner “really wasn’t much of a threat to anybody” when McClain had been killed. So, Warner gave Roedema four years of probation for the felony and the 14-month jail sentence for the misdemeanor assault conviction.
“The court was shocked by what appeared to be, really, indifference to Elijah McClain’s suffering after he was clearly in custody and in handcuffs,” Judge Warner said during sentencing. “I think it’s important for folks to be aware, criminally negligent homicide is not considered a violent crime. And despite what folks’ opinions or my opinion might be about whether this was violent or not [that] doesn’t control [the law].”
After his sentence was publicized, many vocalized that they believed the judge was too lenient given the brutal circumstances surrounding McClain’s death.
McClain’s mother, Sheneen McClain, called Roedema’s sentence “a slap on the wrist.”
“Randy Roedema stole my son’s life. All the belated apologies in the world can’t remove my son’s blood from Randy Roedema’s hands,” she said. “This is not justice. This is not accountability. This is just a slap on the wrist. Because what happened to my son is murder.”
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