GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The murder trial for a former Grand Rapids Police Officer has been put on pause.
The 17th Circuit Court on Tuesday adjourned the final status conference, originally scheduled for July 19, and the jury trial, scheduled for Oct. 24 in Christopher Schurr's case.
Schurr is charged with second-degree murder for killing Patrick Lyoya after a traffic stop in April of 2022.
The adjournment comes as the Michigan Court of Appeals considers the defense's request for a leave to appeal.
Kent County Prosecutor Christopher Becker said the delay wasn't a surprise.
"We respect the judicial process and we understand the community has a vested interest in the progress of this case. However, this adjournment was not a surprise given the status of the case in the Court of Appeals as it simply would not be possible to keep the dates set by the 17th Circuit Court as we await a date to be set for oral argument with the higher court reviewing the case. Additional updates on the progress of this case will be provided as warranted," Becker said in a statement.
The prosecutor was not available for further comment.
The Michigan Court of Appeals has not yet set a date to consider whether Schurr was properly bound over for trial.
The Appeals Court will review the decisions by Judge Ayoub and Judge Elmore to send the case for trial.
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:
“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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