APD officer's deadly conduct trial begins Wednesday
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Opening statements are set to begin Wednesday morning for the deadly conduct trial of Austin Police Officer Christopher Taylor.
Taylor faces the charge in the 2019 death of Mauris DeSilva.
Deadly conduct is a third-degree felony. It holds a punishment of two to 10 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine. Probation can also be an option.
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Case details
Police said officers responded to DeSilva's downtown apartment after reports he was having a mental health episode, walking around holding a knife to his neck. The department's chief at the time said when officers found DeSilva, they issued commands to drop the knife and DeSilva did not comply. Police said he moved toward officers with the knife at his side and was shot by Taylor and another officer, Karl Krycia.
Taylor originally faced a murder charge in this case, but the District Attorney's Office dropped that charge last week. According to online court records, Krycia still faces a murder charge. KXAN reached out to both the District Attorney's Office and Krycia's attorney's about that case. Krycia's attorneys have not responded, and the District Attorney's Office cannot comment at this time.
Taylor is currently on administrative leave with APD.
Murder charge in separate case for Taylor ends with hung jury
Last year, Taylor was on trial for murder in the 2020 death of Michael Ramos.
The trial began in May, but Judge Dayna Blazey declared a mistrial during jury selection following multiple snags in the process of trying to seat a jury. Blazey is also the judge on Taylor's current deadly conduct case.
The case was rescheduled for October, where a weeks-long trial ended in a hung jury.
In June, a grand jury's decision ended the prosecution against Taylor in this case.
KXAN will provide updates on this story throughout the day.