Derek Chauvin Jury Sequestered as Deliberations Begin

The trial of Derek Chauvin in the killing of George Floyd has gone to the jury, despite requests by defense attorney Eric Nelson for a mistrial, as Minneapolis residents – and Americans as a whole – anxiously await the verdict.

Over the course of three weeks, both the prosecution and defense presented their arguments to the jury. Prosecutors Jerry Blackwell, Steve Schleicher, and Erin Eldridge focused on testimony from people who knew Floyd, including Floyd’s girlfriend Courteney Ross, and eyewitnesses such as Darnella Frazier, who recorded and shared video of Chauvin pinning Floyd face-down with his knee on his neck, and who testified that she wishes she could have done more to save Floyd’s life. The prosecution also called eyewitness and MMA fighter Donald Williams, who testified that he felt he had to “call the police on the police,” and who was praised for not taking the bait as Chauvin’s defense attorney Eric Nelson tried to portray Williams as angry.

Expert witnesses for the prosecution included Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo, who said that Chauvin “absolutely” violated department policy, and who said that Chauvin violated department policy, and Dr. Martin Tobin, who testified that Floyd died from a lack of oxygen due to Chauvin’s actions.

Defense attorney Nelson argued that the bystanders who witnessed Chauvin’s actions were responsible for Floyd’s death. The defense also presented expert witnesses, such as Dr. David Fowler, who testified that Floyd died from pre-existing conditions, and former California police officer Barry Brodd, a consultant on police practices and use of force, who testified that Chauvin was justified in pinning Floyd face-down with his knee on his neck for more than nine minutes.

Derek Chauvin did not take the stand, instead deciding to assert his Fifth Amendment right to protection against self-incrimination.

The jury will be sequestered during deliberations. Before sending the jury to deliberate, Judge Peter Cahill instructed the jurors not to allow “bias, prejudice, passion, sympathy or public opinion” to influence their decision, and not to consider any “consequences or penalties” that may result from the verdict.

The jury was partially sequestered during the trial, with security escorts to get them in and out of the Hennepin County courthouse, and instructions from Judge Cahill to avoid reading or watching anything having to do with the trial. Chauvin’s attorney Nelson requested that the jury be sequestered after protests erupted in nearby Brooklyn Center after the death of 20-year-old Daunte Wright, who is Black, during a traffic stop.

In closing arguments Monday, prosecutor Schleicher, in addition to reviewing the evidence against Chauvin, encouraged the jury to believe what they saw in the video. The defense reminded the jury that all that’s needed for an acquittal is reasonable doubt, and argued that Chauvin did what any “reasonable police officer” in that situation would have done.

On rebuttal, prosecutor Blackwell said that there was “no excuse for police abuse.” He also reminded jurors that some witnesses had said Floyd died because his heart was too big. “Now, having seen all the evidence, having heard all the evidence, you know the truth,” Blackwell said. “The truth of the matter is that the reason George Floyd is dead is because Mr. Chauvin’s heart was too small.”

There is no reliable way to predict how long deliberations will take.