US Judge Reduces Jail Sentence of Paramedic in McClain Death, Reuters Reports

By Brad Brooks

LONGMONT, Colorado – A Colorado judge has converted the prison sentence of a paramedic convicted in the death of Elijah McClain to probation. This ruling came during a recent court hearing, according to court officials.

Judge Mark Warner, who presided over three trials related to McClain’s death, reduced Peter Cichuniec’s sentence to four years of probation. This decision followed Warner’s earlier ruling in March, when Cichuniec was sentenced to five years in prison—the longest term given to any of the police officers or paramedics involved in the case. It remains unclear when Cichuniec will be released.

During the hearing, Warner stated that there are "unusual and extenuating circumstances" in this particular case that warranted the change in sentence, as reported by local media.

Requests for comments from the Colorado attorney general’s office, which prosecuted the cases, and from Cichuniec’s attorneys went unanswered.

In December, a jury found 51-year-old Cichuniec guilty of criminally negligent homicide and second-degree assault, marking a rare instance of paramedics facing trial for such charges. Cichuniec’s partner, Jeremy Cooper, 49, was also convicted of criminally negligent homicide and received a sentence of 14 months of work release.

This joint trial was the final one of three stemming from the death of 23-year-old McClain, who was not suspected of any crime at the time he was approached by law enforcement.

One police officer involved in the case was convicted of criminally negligent homicide and sentenced to 14 months in prison, while two others were acquitted.

Initially, local prosecutors had decided not to file charges in McClain’s case. However, this stance changed after the high-profile killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police in May 2020.