Paramedic convicted in Elijah McClain's death set to be released from prison after judge modifies sentence
A judge in Colorado on Friday modified the five-year prison sentence for a paramedic who was convicted in the death of Elijah McClain to four years' probation.
A judge in Colorado on Friday modified the five-year prison sentence for a paramedic who was convicted in the death of Elijah McClain to four years' probation.
McClain was given a lethal dose of ketamine in 2019 after a confrontation with police.
Peter Cichuniec, 51, was sentenced earlier this year after he was found guilty of criminally negligent homicide in the death of the Black pedestrian. Cichuniec was also found guilty of second-degree assault.
Judge Mark Warner ordered the sentence reduction Friday, saying, "The court finds really there are unusual and extenuating circumstances and they are truly exceptional in this particular case,” according to The Denver Post.
Elijah McClain.Courtesy Mari NewmanAttorney General Philip Weiser argued in a court filing against the reduced sentence, that not only did the decision to reduce Cichuniec’s sentence undermine the jury’s verdict, but unlike other codefendants, Cichuniec, who was the highest-ranked paramedic on scene, knew he was injecting McClain with a lethal dose of ketamine.
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