2nd juror in Tacoma police trial falls ill. Judge postpones proceedings
There will be no court proceedings next week in the trial of three Tacoma police officers accused of killing Manuel Ellis because a second juror has fallen ill. The trial will resume the last week of November.
A Pierce County spokesperson announced the postponement Friday afternoon in a brief news release. Anne Bremner, an attorney for one of the officers on trial, said in an email that the juror had tested positive for COVID-19, the second juror to become ill due to the virus.
The juror has not been excused from the trial, according to the Pierce County Superior Court administrator. Should the juror recover, they will resume their duties Nov. 27.
Judge Bryan Chushcoff announced Wednesday that a juror had tested positive for COVID-19. She was excused so the trial could continue. Other jurors were distributed COVID-19 rapid tests. Four people used the tests Wednesday, and they tested negative.
Thursday marked the end of the seventh week of testimony in the trial of officers Christopher Burbank, Matthew Collins and Timothy Rankine. The three are charged with first-degree manslaughter for the March 3, 2020 death of Ellis in their custody. Burbank and Collins also face charges of second-degree murder. All three have pleaded not guilty, are free on bail and remain on paid leave from the Police Department.
The trial began with opening statements Oct. 3, and prosecutors from the Washington State Attorney General’s Office rested their case Nov. 8. The defense began to make its case to the jury Monday.
The death of Ellis, 33, was ruled a homicide in 2020 by the Pierce County medical examiner, and his cause of death was determined to be a form of oxygen deprivation from physical restraint.
How the police encounter with Ellis began has been a central dispute in the trial, but prosecutors have said three eyewitnesses saw what happened from the beginning. Ellis was on the sidewalk while officers were still in their patrol car, and when he was called over, the door swung open, knocking Ellis to the ground. Witnesses testified he didn’t fight back as police subdued him and pressed him to the pavement.
Lawyers for the officers have said nothing their clients did killed Ellis, instead focusing on the methamphetamine in his system and Ellis’ enlarged heart as another explanation for his death.
This story was originally published November 17, 2023 at 3:05 PM.
