A jury is now deliberating in the murder trial of Blendon Township Police Officer Connor Grubb, who fatally shot 21-year-old Ta'Kiya Young in 2023.
Both the special prosecutors and Grubb's defense lawyer Mark Collins gave closing arguments after over a week of testimony from over a dozen witnesses and experts. Grubb never testified in the case, but prosecutors had a state investigator read a statement Grubb wrote in 2023 into the record.
The jury was read a long list of instructions on how they need to deliberate at the beginning of the day on Wednesday.
Special Prosecutor Daniel Brandt and Collins traded jabs, criticizing how each other conducted their testimony and questions to witnesses.
Collins argued that special prosecutors violated the law during their rebuttal of Collins' statement.
Special Prosecutor Daniel Brandt said even though Young can’t speak for herself, the jury should consider the evidence of her actions.
"Ta'Kiya Young no longer has a voice in this case because of the defendant's bullet. But she still speaks to you through the evidence, ladies and gentlemen. She speaks to you through her activation of her turn signal and she tells you 'I wasn't trying to run this officer over,'" Brandt said.
Brandt and the team of prosecutors from Montgomery County argue that Grubb should have never stepped in front of Young's vehicle before he shot her that day.
Collins argued angrily that Brandt was not allowed to speak to what Young would theoretically say if she was alive.
"There's not one piece of evidence that goes towards her speaking or interpretation of her act, any type of speaking. To use that word, Your Honor, that crosses the line," Collins said.
During his closing statement, Collins argued Grubb was justified in shooting Young. He chided prosecutors for admitting Grubb's statement into the record, saying that meant they didn't have to put their client on the witness stand.
"We have met our burden more likely than not. We know we have proven that he was allowed to defend himself because he believed he was in danger. He perceived a threat; it became an actual threat. He was hit by the car," Collins said.
Grubb was in the parking lot of the Sunbury Road Kroger store when a second officer was told by a Kroger employee that Young had just shoplifted liquor. Surveillance video showed Young leaving the store with the liquor bottles.
The second officer, Sgt. Erik Moynihan, confronted Young on the driver's side of her Lexus Sedan and ordered her to get out of the vehicle. Moynihan knocked on Young's window and said "Hey, stop" and "get out of the car." Young rolled down her window and asked "for what," to which the officer said, "They said you stole stuff. Do not leave."
Young replied "I didn't steal s**t. The other girls were taking..." The officer began hitting Young's partially open window and Young said, "Are you going to shoot me?"
Grubb stepped in front of Young's vehicle and pulled out his gun, telling Young to "get out of the ****ing car."
Within seconds, Young turned on her turn signal and began turning her steering wheel away from Grubb, and slowly accelerated forward. She appeared to strike Grubb with her vehicle.
Grubb shot Young through her windshield once, killing her and her unborn child.
The prosecutors and Collins tried to discredit each others' witnesses during the closing arguments. Both parties tried to remind the jury of the evidence that was presented and the arguments made by their experts and witnesses.
After the closing arguments concluded, Collins demanded Judge David Young, who is not related to Ta'Kiya Young, declare a mistrial.
Judge Young declined to do so.
Along with the statement from Grubb, the jury heard from experts on use of force, incident reconstruction, and human movement. They also heard from Moynihan, state investigators, and other eyewitnesses.
The jury will consider two counts of murder, two counts of felonious assault, and two counts of involuntary manslaughter.
Judge Young chose to dismiss several other charges related to the death of Ta'Kiya Young's unborn child. She was about 7 months pregnant at the time of the shooting.
