Following days of intense deliberation, a Travis County jury found Austin Police Officer Christopher Taylor guilty of deadly conduct in connection to the 2019 shooting of Dr. Mauris DeSilva, a 46-year-old neuroscientist, as reported by KXAN. The incident occurred at DeSilva's downtown condominium complex during what has been described as a significant mental health crisis where DeSilva was seen with a knife to his neck.
The conviction arrived Saturday, October 5th after jurors spent three days in consideration of the facts presented during the trial. Taylor, who faced a potential murder charge, saw it dropped just before trial proceedings began and now awaits sentencing by Judge Dayna Blazey, scheduled for October 15th. According to FOX 7 Austin, Travis County District Attorney José Garza expressed hope that the verdict would "continues to help the DeSilva family with their healing process."
The prosecution underscored during the trial that DeSilva was in the throes of a profound mental health episode and argued that more could have been done to de-escalate the situation. Defense attorneys insisted Taylor acted in self-defense, a sentiment echoed in a contentious post on X by one of Taylor's legal team's accounts, a move the state challenged but did not result in a contempt charge.
The Austin Police Department, responding to the jury's decision said, "The Austin Police Department respects the criminal justice process and understands this is a difficult time for all who have been impacted," acknowledging the legal proceedings and their outcome. As of now, the Austin Police Department has not commented on Taylor's employment status post-verdict.
On the fateful day of July 31, 2019, after receiving 911 calls about a man with a knife to his own throat at the Spring Condominiums, police action escalated when DeSilva was confronted by Taylor and three other officers. The encounter, according to previous statements from former APD Chief Brian Manley, culminated in Taylor and another officer discharging their firearms while a third officer deployed a Taser. Dr. Mauris DeSilva succumbed to his injuries shortly after the incident.