Jurors see autopsy photos on sixth day of Javier Ambler in-custody death trial

Austin (KXAN) — The trial for two former Williamson County deputies charged with the in-custody death of Javier Ambler continued Monday with testimony from the examiner that finalized Ambler's autopsy.

Follow trial updates from KXAN's Mercedez Hernandez on X:

James Johnson and Zach Camden are both charged with manslaughter for Ambler's death. They're accused of acting recklessly by using a taser despite him telling officers he had a heart condition.

Back in March 2019, Johnson attempted to pull Ambler over for failure to dim his headlights, a chase ensued and ended in a crash. Deputies struggled to arrest Ambler, after being tased and handcuffed officers realized Ambler had become unresponsive.

The first week of trial wrapped up with defense attorneys and prosecutors debating the qualifications of the state's use of force expert. Cross-examination from the defense uncovered the expert hadn't been the first tapped to consult on this case. The last person that did the job found the deputies acted reasonably.

Medical examiner says Ambler's manner of death was homicide

Travis County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Keith Pinckard was the first witness to take the stand Monday morning, he helped finalize the autopsy report for Ambler's death.

The state started its questions for Pinckard first. He said the outgoing Medical Examiner performed the autopsy the night Ambler died but he took over finalizing the report which took six months.

Pinckard explained the autopsy report and pictures of Ambler's body to jurors.

He testified that Ambler's body showed signs of "severe congestive heart failure" such as ulcerated tissue on his legs. On the second day of trial, a paramedic that tried to resuscitate Ambler testified he had "necrotic" wounds on his legs, a sign of serious health issues.

Pinckard said the causes of Ambler's death were his severe heart problems and forcible restraint from officers. He also determined the manner of death was consistent with homicide.

“Those actions were simply too much for his heart to take. Because those actions were the result of intentional acts by others, that puts it into the category of homicide," Pinckard said.