Trial set for Fullerton cops charged in Kelly Thomas beating death

Trial is expected to start next month in Orange County for two Fullerton police officers charged with the fatal beating of a homeless, mentally-ill man. A  third former officer charged in the case will be tried separately.

Former Fullerton Police Department Officer Manuel Anthony Ramos, 39, is charged with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter and ex-Cpl. Jay Cicinelli, 41, is charged with involuntary manslaughter and excessive force in connection with the beating death of Kelly Thomas, a homeless man with schizophrenia.  
Both officers were dismissed from the Fullerton Police Department. 

Jury selection is expected to begin in early November and the trial is scheduled for November 18.

A Friday trial-setting conference scheduled for ex-Fullerton police officer Joe Wolfe, who is expected to go on trial after Ramos and Cicinelli, was rescheduled to January 24. Wolfe faces charges of involuntary manslaughter and excessive force in the Thomas beating.

In a videotape of the July 5, 2011 incident at the Fullerton Transportation Station, Wolfe is seen pinning Kelly Thomas on the ground. Thomas is heard during the altercation telling officers he could not breathe.