APD officer trial: State asks judge to find defense in contempt of court over attorney's 'X' post
AUSTIN (KXAN) -- As jurors spend their fourth day deliberating in the deadly conduct trial for Austin Police officer Christopher Taylor, a hearing was held Saturday morning where the State claimed one of the defense attorneys should be found in contempt of court for a post he made on the social media platform "X."
Contempt of court is punishable by fines and jail time.
The social media post was a statement made by defense attorney Doug O'Connell about his thoughts on the status of deliberations and his stance on the case itself.
Judge Dayna Blazey denied the requests from the State and said jurors have been repeatedly instructed not to view social media or traditional media reports about this case. She also denied a request from the defense to have the jurors asked individually, on the record, if they had reviewed any outside material on this case.
Several hearings related to the jurors have taken place since deliberations began Wednesday.
Taylor is charged in the 2019 death of Mauris DeSilva, 46. Police shot and killed DeSilva in a common area of his downtown condo complex. Taylor and three other officers responded after 911 callers reported DeSilva walking around, holding a knife to his neck.
The State said DeSilva was undergoing a “profound” mental health episode and expressed throughout the evidence portion of the trial that APD could have done more to de-escalate the situation and keep both DeSilva and others at the complex safe. Taylor’s attorneys said he committed no crime, and that DeSilva posed a credible threat to officers when they fired.
The crime of deadly conduct as it pertains to this case involves knowingly firing a gun at another person. Taylor’s attorneys do not deny Taylor shot DeSilva but said he did so in self-defense, so the use of force was justified and within Taylor’s rights.
Three other officers confronted DeSilva alongside Taylor. One other officer, Karl Krycia, shot DeSilva as well. Another officer, Joseph Cast, fired a Taser. Officer Phillip Zuniga did not actively hold a weapon; his role was to “go hands” if needed.
Taylor originally also faced a murder charge in this case, but that charge was dropped the week before the trial. According to online court records, Kyrcia still faces a murder charge for shooting DeSilva. Neither Cast nor Zuniga face charges.