AUSTIN (KXAN) — The sentencing portion of the deadly conduct case for Austin Police Officer Christopher Taylor, who was found guilty of deadly conduct this month in the 2019 shooting of Mauris DeSilva, is set to begin Dec. 16, according to court proceedings Tuesday.
In Texas, defendants have the right to choose whether a judge or jury decides their punishment. Taylor chose the judge. In court, attorneys said they believed it would take about four days to present testimony for the punishment phase.
Deadly conduct in this case carries a punishment of 2-10 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine, but probation is possible if an individual has no prior convictions, as is the case for Taylor.
Jurors deliberated for about four days before reaching a guilty verdict on a Saturday afternoon. Throughout the trial, Taylor’s attorneys argued self-defense, saying DeSilva was a danger to Taylor, other officers, and civilians.
Prosecutors argued the Dec. 16 date is too late, and pushed to start earlier, but between attorneys' personal schedules and the court's schedule, Judge Dayna Blazey said an earlier date was not available. However, she plans to review the schedule further with her staff later, and may come back with an earlier date.
On July 31, 2019, multiple people called 911 to report DeSilva, 46, walking around his downtown condo complex with a knife to his throat. One caller requested a mental health officer. Multiple condo employees testified they feared both for the safety of others and for DeSilva’s safety.
Officers who testified said, per their training, they needed to confront DeSilva and “address the threat” as soon as possible, because DeSilva was acting “erratically” and posed a danger not only to himself, but others at the condo.
Taylor and three other officers confronted DeSilva on the fifth floor, a common area with a gym and a pool, right outside the elevator in a narrow hallway. You can view body camera video of that confrontation and shooting here.
Taylor and another officer, Karl Krycia, shot DeSilva. Another officer in the elevator fired a Taser and another was not holding a weapon, but was rather prepared to “go hands.”
Krycia was indicted at the same time as Taylor in 2021. They were both indicted on murder charges. Taylor’s murder charges were dropped the week before his trial began.
According to online court records, Krycia still faces a murder charge and has a hearing set for later this month. The District Attorney’s Office has not been able to answer our questions about his case.
