Officer with knee to George Floyd's neck to be tried alone

MINNEAPOLIS — A former Minneapolis police officer who held his knee to George Floyd's neck for minutes will be tried separately from the three other former officers accused in his death, according to an order filed Tuesday that cites limited courtroom space due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Derek Chauvin wil l stand trial alone in March while t he other t hree former officers will be t r i e d t o g e t he r i n t he summer. In his order, Judge Peter Cahill cited the limitations of physical space during the coronavirus pandemic, saying it is “impossible to comply with COVID-19 physical restrictions” given how many lawyers and support personnel the four defendants say would be present.

Prosecutors disagreed with the judge's decision. A defense attorney for former officer Thomas Lane said he believed a separate trial would be better for his client, while the other defense attorneys either declined to comment or did not return messages.

Legal observers say the change benefits Chauvin's co-defendants, who will get a preview of what the state's witnesses will say and more time to prepare. They'll also blame Chauvin, who won't be on trial with them to push back.

Last week, prosecutors asked Cahill t o postpone the March 8 trial to June 7 to reduce public health risks associated with COVID-19. In his Monday order, which was filed Tuesday, the judge wrote that while the pandemic situation may be greatly improved by June, “the Court is not so optimistic given news reports detailing probl ems with the vaccine rollout.”

Cahill's order included an email from Hennepin C o u n t y C h i e f J u d g e Toddrick Barnette, who requested that the trials be separated i n a way Cahill deemed fair, after h e l e a r ne d t h a t e a c h defendant planned t o have co-counsel or legal support in court.