The closing arguments in the trial against the former police officer accused of killing George Floyd concluded Monday in a courthouse in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a city where former agent Derek Chauvin allegedly suffocated the African-American with his knee until his death in May 2020.
The 12 members of the jury deliberated for four hours on Monday, deliberations that will resume this Tuesday. The case was handed over to the jury after nearly three weeks of witness testimony.
The judge, Peter Cahill, reminded jurors of the necessary unanimity of his verdict and asked them to base it solely on the evidence presented at trial. “They must be absolutely fair,” Cahill told them.
And he demanded that they not be carried away by prejudices or that public opinion influence their decision.
With jurors out of court, defense attorney Eric Nelson called for a “mistrial” for “procedural misconduct,” but Cahill denied the request.
After hearing the last arguments of the Prosecutor’s Office and the defense, the members of the jury will isolate themselves and lock themselves in a hotel to review all the evidence presented at the trial and reach a unanimous sentence on each of the three charges Chauvin faces.
The ex-agent is charged with the crimes of murder in the second degree, punishable by up to 40 years in prison; murder in the third degree, with a maximum sentence of 25 years, and murder in the second degree, which carries up to 10 years of deprivation of liberty.
However, since he has no criminal record, he could only be sentenced to a maximum of 12 and a half years in prison for the first two charges and 4 years in prison for the third.
Chauvin, 45, has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.
What exactly are these charges?
SECOND GRADE MURDER
Second degree murder in the US can occur in two scenarios: when the defendant intentionally kills someone, but without premeditation, or when there is no intention, but violence is used to commit the crime.
In his closing arguments, prosecutor Steve Schleicher argued that Chauvin is guilty of this charge because he “assaulted Floyd, intentionally used unlawful force, and inflicted substantial bodily harm,” which resulted in his death.
According to the evidence presented by the Minnesota District Attorney’s Office, Chauvin pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds, allegedly causing his death by suffocation.
The defense of the ex-police officer accused of George Floyd’s death argued in favor of the agent on Tuesday and called an expert in the use of force to testify who justified Derek Chauvin pressing Floyd to the ground, and claimed that things could have It was better if the black man had “rested comfortably” on the pavement.
MURDER IN THE THIRD DEGREE
The third degree murder charge requires the death to occur unintentionally, without premeditation, but due to irresponsible or reckless action, as occurs in many traffic accidents in which a pedestrian is killed.
For prosecutors, Chauvin acted recklessly towards human life by placing his knee on Floyd’s neck for several minutes, despite the African-American man repeatedly claiming that he could not breathe.
“The defendant caused Floyd’s death by an intentional act that was eminently dangerous to other people and he acted with a state of mind that consisted of an indifferent disregard for human life,” Schleicher stressed.
Sgt Jody Stiger told the Minneapolis, Minnesota court on Wednesday.
HOMICIDE IN THE SECOND GRADE
In order for Chauvin to be convicted of second degree murder, the jury must decide that Floyd’s death occurred as a result of the negligence of the former police officer.
“The defendant caused Floyd’s death, through negligent negligence, as he created an unreasonable risk and conspicuously risked death or great bodily harm,” Schleicher alleged.
The tension outside the courthouse is palpable in the streets of Minneapolis, besieged by the presence of thousands of soldiers from the US National Guard and other security forces, awaiting the outcome of the sentence that could arrive in the coming days.
Jurors must decide whether or not Chauvin is guilty of the three charges he faces: second degree murder, punishable by up to 40 years in prison; murder in the third degree, with a maximum sentence of 25 years, and murder in the second degree, which carries up to 10 years of deprivation of liberty.
CHAUVIN’S IMPRUDENCE
In his arguments, Minnesota State Attorney Steve Schleicher clarified that being a police officer is “a noble profession,” but that Chauvin “betrayed his badge and everything it stood for” when he pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck for 9 minutes. and 29 seconds.
After showing several images and videos of moments of the incident, the prosecutor stressed that the way in which Chauvin acted “is not the way the police are trained, following the rules.”
“The defendant is being tried not because of who he was, but because of what he did,” he said, staring at the jurors.
Courtney Ross revealed that months before his death in March, George Floyd was hospitalized for an overdose. Audio of the video in English.
For the prosecutor, the “key” to this case is found in the video that went around the world in May last year.
On this, an expert civil rights lawyer, James DeSimone, explained in statements to Efe that he considers that the evidence presented by the Prosecutor’s Office will be “sufficient” for Chauvin to be found guilty of the three charges.
“The Prosecutor’s Office is asking the jury to use their common sense, as the judge ordered the jury. Police witnesses established that Chauvin used unnecessary and unreasonable force by kneeling on Floyd’s neck,” DeSimone said, specialized in cases of police violence.
THE DEFENSE ATTACKS
Far from that opinion, Chauvin’s defense attorney, Eric Nelson, charged against the Prosecutor’s Office and assured that he had not been able to prove the guilt of the former police officer.
In his turn before the members of the jury, Nelson recalled the presumption of innocence of his client and pointed out that the work of the Minnesota State Prosecutor’s Office is to prove “that he is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt” and “he has not succeeded” .
The lawyer asked the jury to consider the information that Chauvin received before arriving on the scene and to ask how a “reasonable policeman” should react.
In addition, he explained that the maneuver used by Chauvin “is not an unauthorized movement”, so the ex-agent fulfilled his duty given the situation.
The US authorities fear that the tension within the court will be transferred to the streets of many US cities, so they are preparing these days to face a possible wave of protests or demonstrations in the country once the sentence is known .
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki confirmed at a press conference that the federal government is in contact with mayors of major cities and governors to deal with what may happen once the ruling is known.
The goal, Psaki said, is to ensure there is room for peaceful protests.
“This country has gone through a long period, especially for the black community, of pain and exhaustion,” not only because of this trial but also because of the “additional violence” that has occurred in recent weeks, said the Biden spokeswoman.
For this afternoon a demonstration is called in front of the courthouse, in downtown Minneapolis, which is expected to be attended by hundreds of people to demand “justice.”