The medical expert who determine Manny Ellis' death a homicide takes the stand

Former Pierce Co. medical examiner testifies in trial of Manny Ellis' death

The man who served as Pierce County's medical examiner in 2020?when Manny Ellis died in police custody?testified in court about how he determined the death was a homicide.

TACOMA, Wash. - Te medical expert who determined Manny Ellis’s death was a homicide answered questions from both the defense and prosecution about his ruling on Thursday.

In 2020, Dr. Thomas Clark was the medical examiners in Pierce County. He ruled Ellis’ death in Tacoma Police custody was a homicide.

"There are three candidates to account for this death. One of them is a drug overdose. One of them is a heart issue, and the other one is asphyxiation," said Clark.

Clark said the asphyxiation, or suffocation, is due to the encounter Ellis had with police.

"He was restrained with handcuffs, put face-down on the street, and then he was hobbled, meaning that his ankles were bound to his writs with a short strap, and a spit hood was put over his head," said Clark.

The defense focusing specifically on the ‘spit hood.’

Defense attorneys referencing one of Clark’s reports where he listed the hood as possibly the most important factor in the loss of oxygen. They stated none of their clients put the spit hood on Ellis.

"That’s why I said could be the most important, because it could totally cut off breathing. The other things are not likely to totally cut off breathing, but if I’m put in a position of having to choose which of those various components is the most important in terms of coming to a conclusion about the cause of death, I would have a hard time doing that. I couldn’t, I can’t really point to one of them as being the incriminating event," said Clark.

The prosecution has acknowledged that another officer, not among the three charged, put the spit hood on Ellis.

The defense also referenced previous in-custody deaths where meth was involved, Clark ruled them as accidental instead of as a homicide.

"That was based on the information that I had at the time. On both of those cases, I’m wondering if there was something I didn’t have that would have changed that," he said.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Judge denies prosecution's witness in trial of Manny Ellis' death, hearing ends 5 hours early

The length of the trial has been a discussion, as it now is expected to go well past its original two-month timeline. 

In court Thursday, the judge said the jury has mentioned their concern with how long the case may go.

The prosecution still has dozens of people to call to the stand, and the defense has not even started interviewing their witnesses.