In an interview with WWMT – News Channel 3 on Friday, May 2 – the fifth day of ex-GRPD officer Christopher Schurr trial – Managing Partner Randall Levine gave insight about the former officer taking the stand in his own murder trial.
“The accused doesn't have to prove they acted in self-defense,” Levine told WWMT. “It’s the government’s burden to prove beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Schurr is charged in the 2022 death of Patrick Lyoya. If convicted, Schurr could face up to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
According to Levine, taking the stand could pay off for Schurr by giving jurors insight into what he may have been thinking before shooting Lyoya.
Schurr's defense team claims the shooting was in self-defense during a struggle over possession of Schurr's taser.
However, Levine, who is not connected to the case, believes it could hurt Schurr’s chances of being acquitted, depending on how jurors perceive the prosecution's cross-examination.
“If the prosecution can cast doubt upon his testimony that he acted because he thought his life was in danger, then his testimony ultimately doesn't help him,” Levine said in his interview.
Schurr held a taser on the stand, explaining what he claims was his thought process before the deadly shot was fired.
“If his defense is that he acted in self-defense, then that testimony concerning the taser and the access of the taser by the decedent becomes very important for the jury,” Levine said.
Levine told WWMT that the jury will have a lot to consider when deliberations begin, which he believes could last a while.
Watch the full interview, here.
