Hung Jury in Christoper Taylor Murder Trial Means New Trial in 2024

Defense attorney Doug O'Connell (left) and defendant Christopher Taylor during the trial (Photo by Jana Birchum)

November 15: Austin police Officer Christopher Taylor was not convicted of murder for his on-duty fatal shooting of Michael Ramos in April 2020, but in the new year, he will once again stand trial for allegedly committing the offense. In November, a Travis County jury was split on Taylor's guilt or innocence – attorneys believe that eight jurors favored acquittal while four were convinced the officer was guilty. The mistrial followed three weeks of evidence presentation from prosecutors and Taylor's defense and 36 hours of jury deliberation spread across four days. Still, jurors were unable to reach a unanimous verdict, forcing presiding Judge Dayna Blazey to declare the mistrial.

The trial was one of the most high-profile in Austin history, as it was the first time an Austin police officer stood trial for an on-duty killing. In the weeks following the fatal shooting, demonstrators flooded the streets of Austin to demand justice for Ramos and an end to police violence.

Earlier this week, Dec. 13, the presiding judge in the case, Dayna Blazey, set Sept. 23 as the new trial date for Taylor. But Taylor's defense wants to move ahead with Taylor's other murder trial (for the 2019 on-duty killing of Mauris DeSilva) first. The parties will meet in March to aruge over that.