NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The jury trial for the man accused of murdering Newport News Officer Katie Thyne, 24, during a traffic stop continued for a second day Wednesday.
Prosecutors played the heart stopping footage from Officer Thyne’s body-worn camera from the horrific traffic stop that turned deadly the night of January 2020.
Officer Thyne’s body camera video showed the moments police say she was dragged by the suspect’s car. The video suddenly turned off a short time later.
Robert Van knew Thyne for several years and was a close friend.
“I guess I was putting myself in her place thinking how much fear she probably had,” Van said.
Several responding officers took the stand Wednesday describing what they saw the night Officer Thyne was killed.
Police say the suspect, Vernon Green, ignored several commands to get out of the car so they can search it for suspected marijuana.
In the body camera video, both Thyne and another officer can be seen trying to pull Green out of the car when he suddenly hit the gas and took off, dragging Thyne about a block before crashing into a tree.
She was pinned between the car and the tree.
“Katie did everything right and she was protecting our city,” said Van. “She took up the calling and was protecting our city. I knew Katie. She’s going to do it by the book.”
The medical examiner testified Wednesday that Thyne’s leg and pelvis were broken. She had multiple other injuries.
Green’s lawyer argued he was not trying to kill her and was just trying to get away.
Officer Thyne’s friends and family say she was everything the badge represents and so much more.
The 24-year-old was a mother and a Navy veteran.
Van, who served with Thyne in the military, said she loved her family and her job as a police officer.
“She just was a ball of life,” he said. “That’s one of the most hurtful things is that’s just a light taken from the world.”
Green pleaded not guilty on charges of murder and hit and run.
On Tuesday, jury selection began in the high-profile trial.
Closing arguments are set for Thursday at 10:30 a.m.
