George Floyd murder trial to start today after charge added
THE trial of the police officer accused of killing George Floyd in Minneapolis last year is set to begin today, as a late court ruling added another charge to the indictment.
On Friday, the Minnesota Appeals Court decreed that the jury must also consider whether Derek Chauvin should be convicted of third-degree murder, which carries a maximum 25-year jail term.
Mr Chauvin was initially charged with third-degree murder, but following a public outcry, prosecutors substituted the more serious offence of second-degree murder, which carries a 40-year maximum jail term, and second-degree manslaughter.
Prosecutors’ decision to reinstate the third-degree murder charge was to ensure jurors had “every option” to hold Mr Chauvin liable for Mr Floyd’s death, said Ben Crump, a civil rights lawyer who has been advising the family.
Mr Chauvin is one of four officers facing trial in connection with Mr Floyd’s death. The others are accused of aiding and abetting Mr Chauvin.
The death of Mr Floyd (46) triggered rioting across the US after mobile phone footage emerged showing Mr Chauvin, a white police officer, kneeling on his neck.
Mr Floyd’s plea “I can’t breathe” was taken up by protesters as a symbol of the brutality inflicted by some police officers on African-Americans.
His death became a pivotal issue in the presidential election, with Joe Biden offering condolences to his grieving family and appealing for racial justice, while Donald Trump focused on the destruction at some protests.
Last week, the House of Representatives passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which, among other things, would ban the use of chokeholds. (© Telegraph Media Group Ltd 2021)