Manny Ellis Cause of Death: Thursday continued the trial of three Tacoma police officers as medical experts briefed the jury on the medical history and autopsy report of Manny Ellis.
Contrary to the position taken by defense attorneys, prosecutors assert that Ellis was subjected to physical abuse preceding his demise, including tasing, beating, hogtying, and having a spew hood placed over his head. However, the issue of whether Ellis’ drug use and medical history contributed to his demise also remains.
The officer’s defense team questioned Jacob Atzet, the primary death investigator for the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office, regarding Ellis’ medical history as he once more took the stand.
“Diagnosis has been associated with Ellis’ heart, indeed,” Atzet responded in response to a query regarding cardiac complications. Additionally, the defense counsel read from Ellis’s past, to which Atzet responded.
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“Yes, I suffer from IVDA, or intravenous substance abuse. Indeed, that was documented in the medical records.
Manny Ellis Cause of Death: Atzet responded “yes” to the attorney’s inquiries regarding ADHD, chest distress, and methamphetamine use. Additionally, they retraced the interrogation to the evening of 2020, when Ellis and the Tacoma police officers engaged in a struggle shortly before Ellis passed away.
Atzet stated that he did not observe any injury to Ellis’s skull, and he was further questioned regarding any signs that Ellis may have been choked.
Atzet responded, “I did not observe any defects in the neck.”
Subsequently, the prosecution presented Dr. Roger Mitchell, the Chief Medical Examiner for Washington, D.C. Mitchell, who had examined the autopsy reports and body tissue samples beforehand, and disclosed his personal findings.
Mitchell stated, “I attribute his demise to mechanical asphyxia resulting from violent self-infliction and restraint by law enforcement officers.”
Mitchell continued, “Mr. Ellis was unable to achieve the necessary chest movement for proper respiration due to his elevated position and the presence of individuals above him.”
Mitchell stated that the placement of the spit hood and the amphetamine toxicity were factors that contributed to Ellis’ death, and he classified the manner of death as homicide.
