Defense attorneys for three Washington state police officers involved in the 2020 death of Manuel Ellis argued on Tuesday that his demise resulted from drug use rather than excessive force, which allegedly included choking, shocking, and restraining him facedown.
Wayne Fricke, representing Tacoma police Officer Christopher Burbank, asserted during closing arguments in the nine-week trial on murder and manslaughter charges that Ellis’ addiction to methamphetamine made him violent, unpredictable, and paranoid. Fricke contended that Ellis’s behavior compelled the officers to use force, emphasizing that the situation was of Ellis’s own making.
The defense’s statements followed the closing arguments of special prosecutor Patty Eakes, who urged the jury to scrutinize the officers’ statements in comparison to videos and witness testimony to assess their credibility. Eakes, prosecuting on behalf of the Washington Attorney General’s Office, emphasized the importance of aligning the officers’ accounts with the available evidence.
Manuel Ellis died on March 3, 2020, nearly three months before George Floyd’s death ignited global protests against police brutality. This trial marks the first prosecution of officers charged in a suspect’s death since a 2018 voter-approved measure removed the requirement for prosecutors to prove malice in police actions.
Two of the officers, Christopher Burbank, 38, and Matthew Collins, 40, face second-degree murder and manslaughter charges, while Timothy Rankine, 34, is charged with manslaughter.
Jared Ausserer, Collins’ lawyer, delivered his closing arguments, challenging the credibility of witnesses and raising questions about the timing of their statements. He also questioned the reliability of video evidence, suggesting that the tragedy of Ellis’s death does not necessarily make the actions of Officer Collins criminal.
Eakes countered the defense’s claims by playing audio clips of the officers’ statements alongside video footage and witness accounts to illustrate inconsistencies. She argued that the officers’ claims contradicted both each other and the available evidence. Eakes highlighted instances where the officers’ statements were refuted by witnesses and demonstrated that certain events described by the officers were not captured on video.
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As the trial nears its conclusion, the prosecution and defense continue to present their cases, leaving the jury to decide the officers’ fates in the controversial case.