Former Colorado Cop Sentenced to 14 Months in Jail in Death of Elijah McClain

A former Colorado police officer convicted of the 2019 killing of Black pedestrian Elijah McClain was sentenced Friday to 14 months in county jail.

He will not spend time in state prison and will have to serve four years probation concurrently with time served, a judge ordered.

Randy Roedema, who served in the Aurora Police Department, was found guilty in October on a charge of criminally negligent homicide and third-degree assault.

Adams County District Judge Mark Warner, who handed down the sentence, said it was influenced by Roedema’s "good character" and the likelihood he could be rehabilitated.

The attorney representing McClain’s family asked for a three-year sentence whereas Roedema’s attorney asked for only probation.

Roedema will additionally have 200 hours of community service after he is released.

Roedema was the most senior law enforcement member charged in McClain’s death and was the only one found guilty. He was the most senior officer who initially responded to the scene. 

The 23-year-old’s killing received little attention at the time of his death, but gained renewed interest the following year as mass protests swept the nation over the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. McClain’s death became a rallying cry for critics of racial injustice in policing.

In a separate trial, two paramedics were recently convicted for injecting McClain with an overdose of the sedative ketamine after police put him in a neck hold. Sentencing will come later this year for the paramedics, who had been trained to use ketamine to treat “excited delirium” — a disputed condition some say is unscientific, rooted in racism, and used to justify excessive force.

“Randy Roedema stole my son’s life,” she said, “All the belated apologies in the world can’t remove my son’s blood from Randy Roedema’s hands.” 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.