CHICAGO _ The murder trial of Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke has been delayed because of a sick juror.
Judge Vincent Gaughan took the bench just before 9:30 a.m. Monday to announce that "difficulties" would prevent evidence from being presented. He returned to the bench a few minutes later to tell the jurors that the trial would take a day off from testimony because one of its members was sick.
The defense will continue presenting their case Tuesday morning.
The trial, one of the most closely watched in Cook County history, has so far featured 40 witnesses over eight days of testimony _ 24 called by the prosecution and 16 by the defense.
Van Dyke's attorneys have lined up at least two more expert witnesses, including a police use-of-force expert and a psychologist who is expected to testify about the physiological effects that police officers endure in dangerous encounters.
Before Van Dyke's attorneys wrap up their case, however, the officer himself must go before Judge Vincent Gaughan and answer the question: Will you take the witness stand?
By law, jurors cannot hold it against Van Dyke if he opts not to testify in his own defense.
A number of legal experts contacted by the Chicago Tribune say it would be risky for Van Dyke to pass on testifying since he has claimed he acted in self-defense when he shot 17-year-old Laquan McDonald 16 times.
Van Dyke, 40, faces two counts of first-degree murder, 16 counts of aggravated battery and one count of official misconduct for the October 2014 shooting. Police dashboard camera video released by court order showed Van Dyke opening fire within seconds of exiting his squad car as McDonald, holding a knife, appeared to walk away from police. Prosecutors have said he had no legal justification for firing even one shot _ let alone 16.
Last week, Van Dyke's attorneys called a number of witnesses to bolster their portrayal of McDonald as a menacing, out-of-control teenager who was high on PCP and ignoring police commands the night he was shot.
Among them was Rudy Barillas, a truck driver who testified a black male _ believed to be McDonald _ tried to stab him when he called 911 on the teen, who was breaking into trucks in a secure lot at 41st Street and Kildare Avenue.
On Thursday, a pharmacologist told jurors that McDonald had used PCP within a "relatively recent period" before he was shot and that the levels found in his blood could cause hallucinations, behavioral changes and aggression, among other effects.
