Former Aurora officer convicted for the death of Elijah McClain receives 14-month jail sentence

Jan. 5, 2024 (BRIGHTON, Colo.)—An Adams County District Court judge today sentenced former Aurora officer Randy Roedema to 14 months in county jail, four years probation, and 200 hours of community service for violently restraining Elijah McClain during a stop on the night of Aug. 24, 2019, which led to McClain’s death. Roedema must report to county jail by March 22.

A jury found Roedema guilty of criminally negligent homicide, a class 5 felony, and third-degree assault, a class 1 misdemeanor, on Oct. 12, 2023.

“We believe that time in county jail and community service is an appropriate and serious sentence for Randy Roedema, who, as the judge noted, showed shocking indifference to the life of Elijah McClain. This sentence is necessary to demonstrate that officers who betray their training and their vow to protect members of the community are held accountable,” Attorney General Phil Weiser said.

In September 2021, a statewide grand jury indicted Roedema and two other Aurora officers and two paramedics on several counts in the death of McClain. McClain was innocently walking home from a convenience store the night that officers stopped and violently restrained him while paramedics gave him a deadly overdose of ketamine. After the encounter with law enforcement and the paramedics, McClain was transported to the University of Colorado Medical Center. He was declared brain dead on Aug. 27, 2019, and removed from life support on Aug. 30, 2019.

An individual convicted of a felony cannot serve as a peace officer in Colorado. The Colorado Peace Officer Standards and Training staff will begin the certification revocation process required by state law.