SHOCK: Jury Acquits Robert Ellis of Cop Murder
BROOKLYN, NY — A jury in Brooklyn on Wednesday night acquitted one of three men charged in the fatal shooting of Police Officer Russel Timoshenko of murder charges, but convicted him on lesser counts of weapons possession.
The verdict was a stunning setback for prosecutors, who had argued that the defendant, Robert Ellis, was one of two men who fired their weapons at Officer Timoshenko and his partner, Officer Herman Yan, during a traffic stop in the early-morning hours of July 9, 2007.
Mr. Ellis would have faced a possible sentence of life without parole if he had been convicted of aggravated murder and attempted aggravated murder. Mr. Ellis’s lawyer said he could face up to 15 years in prison on each of the weapons charges, but said she thought they would run concurrently.
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