Former San Diego County sheriff's deputy Aaron Russell is asking for more time before facing a federal jury, arguing that national outrage over recent federal shootings in Minneapolis could poison the jury pool in his civil-rights case. His trial is currently set to begin on Feb. 17, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune.
Defense seeks pause, cites Minneapolis cases
In a motion filed last week, Russell's attorneys point to the high-profile killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti and the protests that followed, arguing the media saturation and public anger have made it impossible to seat an impartial jury. The filing asks U.S. District Judge Todd W. Robinson for a 90-day continuance so that the intense public debate can subside before jury selection begins.
Federal indictment and penalties
A federal grand jury in San Diego previously returned a two-count indictment charging Russell with depriving Nicholas Bils of his civil rights and with discharging a firearm during a violent crime, offenses that carry a potential life sentence, per a Department of Justice press release. May 2024 Hoodline coverage of the indictment noted that the federal charges followed years of litigation and a civil settlement for Bils' family.
State plea and sentence
On the state side, Russell pleaded guilty in February 2022 to voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced to a year in custody with a suspended three-year term of probation. He ultimately served about five months behind bars, according to the Los Angeles Times. The state judge cited Russell's youth and lack of a prior record in imposing the sentence, which Bils' relatives publicly criticized as insufficient.
Previous federal trial ended in mistrial
Russell has already been through one federal trial. In 2025, a jury could not reach a unanimous verdict, and a mistrial was declared in June, prolonging the legal fight over the 2020 shooting, the Times of San Diego reported. That deadlock left open questions about retrial and scheduling even before the latest request to push the date back.
Prosecutors push back
Federal prosecutors are urging the court to keep the Feb. 17 start date. They argue there is no legal basis to delay a trial because of generalized publicity in another set of cases and say the defense is speculating about prejudice, Assistant U.S. Attorney C. Seth Askins wrote in filings. Prosecutors also warn that further delays could complicate witness availability and the preservation of evidence.
What’s next
Judge Todd W. Robinson now has to decide whether national headlines about unrelated federal shootings create an unusually prejudicial environment or whether careful jury selection and standard instructions are enough to ensure a fair trial. His ruling will determine whether the long-running case, which already includes a federal indictment, a state plea and a multimillion-dollar civil settlement, finally moves forward on schedule or stays in limbo a little longer.
