KENT COUNTY, Mich. – The prosecutor and defense attorney in the case of the ex-officer who shot and killed Patrick Lyoya in 2022 spoke out Thursday following the judge declaring a mistrial.
Deliberations began at around 12:30 p.m. Monday, May 5, after both the prosecution and defense presented their final arguments.
Lyoya, a 26-year-old Congolese refugee, was shot and killed by a Grand Rapids Police Officer during a traffic stop in April 2022.
The former officer, Christopher Schurr, was charged with second-degree Murder in Lyoya’s death.
The judge told prosecutors and defendants Thursday morning that the jury was unable to reach a verdict. Therefore, the judge declared a mistrial.
Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker said he, as well as the Lyoya family, is disappointed with the outcome of the trial.
Becker spoke with the jury after the trial, thought they were a fair jury, and took the case seriously while deliberating.
He told media outlets he knows how the jury was divided but declined to share with the public.
“This was not an easy case,” he said.
Once a judge declares a mistrial, the prosecution has the option to retry the case with a new jury, drop the charges or offer a plea deal.
Becker said on Thursday that he had not made a decision on what to do next on the case.
The lawyer who defended Schurr, Matt Borgula, believed the jury did their job and deliberated well, despite not coming to an agreement early on.
“He’s been living with this for three years,” said Borgula regarding Schurr’s reaction to the mistrial. “He, obviously, wanted some resolution.”
He mentioned Schurr appreciated the jury but wanted it to be done.
“He’ll reflect on it, as we all will.”
Borgula said he doesn’t believe this case should be retried. “I don’t think he should have been charged in the first place.”
The defense claimed the judge rolled her eyes and made facial expressions throughout the trial, but didn’t bring it up during the trial.
“A man died, and that is a very serious thing. It’s hard to say that this is a victory,” Burgola said.
The defense attorney was asked if the jury considered how Schurr shot Lyoya.
“Terrible [the shot] was in the back of the head, but it’s legally irrelevant,” said Borgula. He said he believed the jury didn’t consider that during deliberations.