A Colorado court has overturned the homicide convictions of two paramedics connected to the ketamine overdose death of Elijah McClain. This decision came after an appeals court ordered new trials for Jeremy Cooper and Peter Cichuniec, paramedics from Aurora Fire Rescue.

The case stems from a 2019 incident where McClain, a Black massage therapist, was walking home from a convenience store. Police had responded to a report of a suspicious person and had forcibly restrained him. Subsequently, McClain received a ketamine injection from the paramedics.

In 2023, following a lengthy trial in a state district court, a jury found both Cooper and Cichuniec guilty of criminally negligent homicide. Cooper received a 14-month jail sentence that included work release and probation, while Cichuniec faced a harsher sentence due to an additional felony assault conviction, which the appeals court upheld.

The appeals court’s reversal focused on the jury instructions related to the criminally negligent homicide charges, identifying mistakes that affected the jury’s deliberations. These errors prompted the decision for new trials.