Jury finds Caleb Cegers guilty of manslaughter – not murder – in 2023 fatal shooting of Taylor Wyss
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- A Deschutes County jury took less than a day Monday to find a Bend man guilty of manslaughter – but not murder – in the August 2023 fatal shooting of Redmond resident Taylor Wyss on the sidewalk outside a downtown Bend bar.
The week-long trial of Caleb Joseph Cegers, now 22, wrapped up several days earlier than scheduled, and the 12-member jury began its deliberations Wednesday morning and reached a verdict that was announced in the late afternoon.
The jury’s verdict was handed to Circuit Judge Beth Bagley, who read it aloud, saying they found Cegers not guilty of second-degree murder, but guilty of the “lesser included charge” of first-degree manslaughter.
In Oregon, second-degree murder alleges someone committed an intentional, though not premeditated killing. First-degree manslaughter is a killing seen as reckless behavior, with “extreme indifference to life,” or a killing committed in the heat of passion.
A second-degree murder conviction carries a life prison sentence, with a 25-year minimum, under Oregon’s Measure 11. First-degree murder is a Class A felony, also a Measure 11 crime, with a potential sentence of 10 to 20 years in prison.
The jury also found Cegers guilty of a Class A felony charge of first-degree assault and two Class C felony counts of unlawful use of a weapon.
A sentencing date was not set during the 10-minute verdict hearing, pending further discussion between the judge and attorneys.
The verdict form gave the jury the options of finding Cegers guilty of second-degree murder, first- or second-degree manslaughter, or criminally negligent homicide as a “lesser included offense” of the murder charge.
In opening statements a week ago, prosecutors said Cegers and his girlfriend were drunk and causing trouble in the bar, and Wyss was trying to be a "good Samaritan." Defense lawyers argued Cegers acted in self-defense after being assaulted and chased down the sidewalk by several men.
Before the verdict was read, Bagley advised those in the courtroom to show “no outward reaction to the verdict” or face possible removal. Afterward, before dismissing jurors, she thanked them for their work.
“I know this was a big ask,” she said, but “incredibly important.”
Cegers’ defense attorneys had filed an objection Monday to part of the jury instructions that stated: “The defendant is not justified in using physical force on another person if he provoked the use of unlawful physical force by that other person with the intent to cause physical injury or death to another person.”
“While (that) is a correct statement of the law, it is not supported by any evidence in the record,” they wrote.
In order to give that jury instruction, they argued, “the evidence must show that the defendant wanted a confrontation so they could assault the victim under guise of self-defense.” And he claimed “there is no evidence in the record that Mr. Cegers said or did anything to elicit a physical response from Mr. Wyss.”
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