Jury Reaches Verdict at Trial Over George Floyd's Death
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 3 years ago on
April 20, 2021
In this image from video, former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin listens as his defense attorney Eric Nelson gives closing arguments as Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill preside Monday, April 19, 2021, in the trial of Chauvin at the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis. Chauvin is charged in the May 25, 2020 death of George Floyd. (Court TV via AP, Pool)

Share

[Sassy_Social_Share_Premium id="3"]

MINNEAPOLIS — The jury has reached a verdict at the murder trial of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd. The verdict is to be read Tuesday afternoon.

Floyd died last May after Chauvin, a white officer, pinned his knee on the 46-year-old Black man’s neck for about 9 1/2 minutes in a case that triggered worldwide protests, violence and a furious reexamination of racism and policing in the U.S.

The jury deliberated over parts of two days in a city on edge against another outbreak of unrest.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

The jury at former Officer Derek Chauvin’s murder trial in George Floyd’s death deliberated for a second day Tuesday in a city skittish over the outcome as President Joe Biden weighed in by saying he believes the case is “overwhelming.”

Anonymous and Sequestered Jury

The racially diverse jury — anonymous and sequestered from the outside world — resumed deliberations in the morning as lawmakers and fellow citizens alike delivered their own opinions about the combustible case that triggered protests, scattered violence and a reckoning over racism in the U.S.

“It shouldn’t be really even questioned whether there will be an acquittal or a verdict that doesn’t meet the scale of the crime that was committed,” Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Democrat, said in Brooklyn Center, a suburb just outside Minneapolis. The congresswoman said the Chauvin case looks open-and-shut.

Guilty verdicts could mark a turning point in the fight for racial equality, she said.

“We are holding on to one another for support. Hopefully this verdict will come soon and the community will start the process of healing,” Omar said.

In Washington, the president said that he had spoken to Floyd’s family on Monday and “can only imagine the pressure and anxiety they’re feeling.”

“They’re a good family and they’re calling for peace and tranquility no matter what that verdict is,” Biden said. “I’m praying the verdict is the right verdict. I think it’s overwhelming, in my view. I wouldn’t say that unless the jury was sequestered now.”

The president has repeatedly denounced Floyd’s death but previously stopped short of commenting on the trial itself.

Defense Blamed George Floyd’s Drug Use and Heart Condition

Prosecutors argued that Chauvin squeezed the life out of Floyd last May when the white officer knelt on or near the 46-year-old Black man’s neck for 9 1/2 minutes. The defense contended that the now-fired white officer acted reasonably and that a heart condition and illegal drug use led to Floyd’s death.

The jury of six white people and six people who are Black or multiracial spent just a few hours on their task Monday after the day was mostly consumed by closing arguments. They will remain sequestered until verdicts are reached.

Chauvin, 45, is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter The most serious charge carries up to 40 years in prison.

Ahead of a verdict, some stores were boarded up in Minneapolis, the courthouse was ringed with concrete barriers and razor wire, and National Guard troops were on patrol. Last spring, Floyd’s death set off protests along with vandalism and arson in Minneapolis.

The city has also been on edge in recent days over the deadly police shooting of a 20-year-old Black man, Daunte Wright, in Brooklyn Center on April 11.

Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott joined a group of residents Tuesday to call for transparency and accountability in policing.

The mayor said he has met with Wright’s family several times and vowed to “do all that’s within our power to make sure that we are implementing the kind of changes that would prevent another Daunte.”

“What this community is saying is that his life is going to continue to matter,” Elliott said.

Doris Rendell, who is Black, burst into tears as she was standing in front of a memorial set up at the site of Daunte Wright’s death. She says the Wright case and the Floyd case reminded her of her own negative interactions with police when she was young.

“It’s terrible, it’s terrible to be black, to say that… It is. There’s so much racism out here, it’s pathetic … It’s like there’s no justice in the world for us. It’s like we’re a piece of a bean in a pie just getting picked off, just no one cares.

Judge Rejected Mistrial Motion

After the jury got the Chauvin case Monday, Judge Peter Cahill rejected a defense request for a mistrial based in part on comments from California Rep. Maxine Waters, who said “we’ve got to get more confrontational” if Chauvin isn’t convicted of murder.

The judge called her comments “abhorrent” and “disrespectful to the rule of law and to the judicial branch” and told Chauvin’s attorney that Waters “may have given you something on appeal that may result in this whole trial being overturned.”

Still, two defense attorneys in Minnesota said they consider a successful appeal over remarks like Waters’ or Biden’s extremely unlikely.

“Anybody who thinks undue publicity is going to get a case reversed in this day and age is just wrong,” said Joe Friedberg, who is unconnected to the case. “Just from a pragmatic standpoint, with social media, I don’t think it can ever be done again.”

Brock Hunter, past president of the Minnesota Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, said a successful appeal would be unlikely unless there were direct evidence that Waters’ statements affected jurors.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Will FUSD Trustees Look First Only at Internal Candidates in Superintendent Search?

DON'T MISS

Brothers Say They Found Amelia Earhart’s Plane, Will Donate It to Smithsonian

DON'T MISS

These Fresno Eclipse Chasers Are Hoping For 4 Minutes of Darkened Bliss in Texas

DON'T MISS

If You Want to See the April Eclipse, Make Sure to Protect Your Eyes

DON'T MISS

New Book Explores the Myths, Truths and Legacy of the Macho Man

DON'T MISS

16 SWAT Officers Hospitalized After Blast at Training Facility in Southern California

DON'T MISS

Steven Mnuchin Builds Investor Group to Acquire TikTok Amid Potential US Ban

DON'T MISS

Kerman Council Delays Decision on Gaza Cease-Fire Resolution

DON'T MISS

Oscar Moments: Talk of War & Peace, a Coronation for Nolan, and Ken-Demonium for Gosling

DON'T MISS

Fans at Frigid Chiefs Playoff Game Underwent Amputations, Hospital Confirms

No data was found

The 49ers Have Been Docked a 2025 Fifth-Round Draft Pick for an Accounting Error

10 hours ago

Fresno Bank Sued. It Allegedly Helped Bitwise Commit Fraud.

Bitwise /

10 hours ago

How California’s Prized Solution for Methane Gas Is Backfiring on Farmers

Environment /

13 hours ago

Supreme Court Seems Favorable to Biden Administration Over Efforts to Combat Social Media Posts

14 hours ago

Putin Extends Rule in Preordained Russian Election After Harshest Crackdown Since Soviet Era

14 hours ago

Ohtani to Begin Throwing Program Soon. Roberts Hints Dodgers Star Might Play in the Field

14 hours ago

Trump: Some Migrants Are ‘Not People’, There’ll Be a ‘Bloodbath’ if I Lose

14 hours ago

Tech Lawyer and Philanthropist Nicole Shanahan Rumored as RFK Jr.’s VP Pick

News /

14 hours ago

March Madness is Here. UConn, Purdue, Houston and North Carolina Get Top Seeding in NCAA Tournament

15 hours ago

Crafts Retailer Joann Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy as Consumers Cut Back on Pandemic-Era Hobbies

15 hours ago

Records Show That Valley Children’s Leader Suntrapak’s Pay Exceeds $5 Million

■Valley Children’s paid CEO Todd Suntrapak $5.2 million in 2021. The hospital also gave him a $5 million forgivable home loan. ■The Va...
Healthcare /

9 hours ago

4 days ago

Realtor Association Settles Lawsuit on Commission Rules. Fresno Broker Fears the End of Market Transparency

4 days ago

Prosecutor Leaves Georgia Election Case Against Trump After Relationship With District Attorney

4 days ago

Rory McIlroy’s 65: 10 Birdies, 2 Tee Shots in the Water, 1 Testy Dispute

4 days ago

Aaron Donald Announces His Retirement After a Standout 10-Year Career With the Rams

4 days ago

New Book Explores the Myths, Truths and Legacy of the Macho Man

4 days ago

Baseball Superstar Ohtani and His Wife Arrive in South Korea for Dodgers-Padres MLB Opener

4 days ago

India’s New Citizenship Law Excludes Muslims. Here’s What to Know

4 days ago

US, G-7 Allies Warn Iran to Back Off Deal to Provide Russia Ballistic Missiles or Face New Sanctions

Photo of San Francisco 49ers' Arik Armstead

4 days ago

Former 49ers DT Arik Armstead Agrees to a 3-Year, $51 Million Deal with the Jaguars, AP Source Says

4 days ago

Supreme Court Rules Public Officials Can Sometimes Be Sued for Blocking Critics on Social Media

Search