Earlier this week, official jury selection began in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who is facing second-degree murder and manslaughter charges for the death of George Floyd. This case is now in the hands of the jury.
The jury found Chauvin, 45, guilty of all three charges — second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. He could face up to 40 years in prison for second-degree murder, up to 25 years for third-degree murder, and up to 10 years for second-degree manslaughter.
“What was going through Derek Chauvin’s mind when he kneeled on a handcuffed, prone George Floyd for nine minutes and 29 seconds?”
That key question was at the heart of the three charges against the former Minneapolis Police officer and was top of mind for jurors in their deliberations. To render a verdict, they also had to interpret Minneapolis Police policies, Floyd’s cause of death, and the specific language of the law.
The lawyer for Derek Chauvin argued on Monday that the former officer had acted reasonably when he knelt on George Floyd for more than nine minutes, imploring jurors to also consider the moments before officers took Mr. Floyd to the ground as they begin to debate whether to convict or acquit Mr. Chauvin.
The names of the jurors are not known. But we do know that the jury was significantly less white than Hennepin County itself. The 12 jurors included four Black people, two people who identify as multiracial, and six white people. Two alternates — both of them white women — were dismissed. The jury reported each day for duty to the Hennepin County Government Center under intense security measures, using a private entrance to enter the court. The jurors were given a laptop and monitor to review the extensive video footage and exhibits presented during the trial.
“Use your common sense. Believe your eyes. What you saw, you saw,” prosecutor Schleicher told the jury.
If the state is “missing any one single element” to meet the burden of proving Chauvin’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt for each of the three counts, “it is a not-guilty verdict,” defense attorney Nelson told them.
Black Live Matters!!