Overview
- The trial stems from a September 2024 crash on Schoenherr in Warren in which a marked Warren police SUV driven by James Burke struck a Dodge Durango, killing Cedric Hayden Jr. and DeJuan Pettis.
- Prosecutors say Burke drove roughly 115 miles per hour in a 40 mph zone without activating emergency lights or siren and argue that choice amounted to gross negligence rising to manslaughter.
- The defense presented experts who said the Durango driver had a 0.198 blood-alcohol level and that an illegal, early left turn was the immediate cause of the collision.
- Court testimony included competing accident-reconstruction estimates, toxicology analysis, department training testimony about when lights and sirens are used, and body-camera footage of Burke saying the other vehicle 'turned in front of me.'
- Jurors began deliberations Thursday, and the coming verdict will decide criminal accountability for the crash while also shaping how prosecutors, courts and police departments treat high-speed responses and related training.