GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — Later this fall, a panel of judges will hear an appeal in the case of a former Grand Rapids Police Officer charged with murder.
Christopher Schurr is charged with second-degree murder for killing Patrick Lyoya after a traffic stop in April of 2022.
He had originally faced a trial scheduled for October, but the 17th Circuit Court adjourned the case while the appeal played out.
On Sept. 6, the Michigan Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments in review of the decisions by Judge Ayoub and Judge Elmore to send the case for trial. It is unclear when the appeals panel will make a decision on whether the case will move forward to trial.
The murder trial in Kent County was put on hold as the appeals process continues.
Ven Johnson, who represents the family of Patrick Lyoya in a civil lawsuit against the City of Grand Rapids and former GRPD offering Christopher Schurr, shared this statement in July:
“The Lyoya family, is again, highly disappointed by yet another adjournment/postponement of the October 2023 trial date of former officer Schurr, who remains out on bond living his life while Patrick remains in his grave.
The family has put their faith in the United States criminal justice system hoping for justice for Patrick. Unfortunately, there has been little activity on the criminal case other than appeals to the Michigan Court of Appeals and adjournment of court dates. It is not lost on the Lyoya family that if Schurr were not a GRPD officer when he killed Patrick, he would not be out of jail on bond and this criminal trial would have already occurred.”
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