Closing arguments expected Tuesday in APD officer's murder trial

Editor's note: The above video is from KXAN's coverage of this trial from Monday (Nov. 6, 2023).

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Closing arguments are expected to begin Tuesday afternoon in the murder trial for Austin Police Department Officer Christopher Taylor. The jury first visited the scene of the shooting Tuesday morning.

Judge Dayna Blazey announced Tuesday, before the jury was taken to the scene, that attorneys could not speak to the jurors while there. She also instructed the audience and the news media not to film or photograph the jurors.

State prosecutors filed the motion to have the jurors view the scene. The defense joined that motion, Blazey said.

The day prior, attorneys representing Taylor finished presenting their case after the state rested last week. Taylor is on trial for murder in the death of Michael Ramos.

Taylor shot and killed Ramos, 42, during an incident with police back in April 2020 at a south Austin apartment complex's parking lot. Taylor is on administrative leave with APD.

KXAN's Grace Reader will be in court Tuesday providing live updates of the trial on social media platform X:

Previous coverage of this trial:

• Defense rests case in APD officer’s murder trial
• Day 10: Officers questioned in Christopher Taylor murder trial
• Defense takes over in APD officer’s murder trial
• Prosecutors rest case in APD officer’s murder trial, defense takes over
• State calls use-of-force expert in APD officer’s murder trial
• Prosecutors expect to wrap mid-week in APD officer’s murder trial
• APD Officer Christopher Taylor’s statement read during murder trial

Defense: Expert witnesses called Monday

Monday afternoon, the defense called a professor of psychology from the University of Texas at Austin as its final witness. Dr. David Gilden specializes in what was described in court as "visual perception," specifically what Taylor may have perceived during the shooting.

Before the jury was brought into the courtroom, the state asked Gilden to say exactly what his testimony would help the jury understand in this case.

"[The] jury has the impression that the car {Ramos was driving] is in full view to anybody looking through an optic, and that there should be absolutely no question in the mind of Mr. Taylor that the car is turning," Gilden said. After a long pause he continued: "And that is misleading."

To this point in the trial, the jury has been shown several reconstructions of what Taylor may have seen when he fired shots. Gilden testified that those did not capture the narrowness of what Taylor could perceive and went so far as call the state's version "cartoonish."

During cross-examination, the state questioned Gilden's qualifications and highlighted that he had only testified two times previously.

"What qualifies you to determine what's relevant to a jury in a criminal case?" Prosecutor Gary Cobb asked. Gilden responded that "what information is available to a person who is aiming" is "the most important thing to be addressed."