Chauvin won’t testify at murder trial in Floyd’s death

The defense at the murder trial of former Officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd wrapped up its case without putting Chauvin on the stand, presenting a total of two days of testimony to the prosecution’s two weeks.

Chauvin informed the court that he would not testify, saying he would invoke his Fifth Amendment right not to take the stand. It would have been the first time Chauvin publicly told his side of the story.

“Is this your decision not to testify?” Judge Peter Cahill asked.

“It is, your honour,” Chauvin said. Some prosecution rebuttal testimony was expected to follow on Thursday. Closing arguments are set for Monday, after which the racially diverse jury will begin deliberating at the barbed-wire-ringed courthouse, with Minneapolis on edge against a repeat of the protests and violence that broke out last spring over Floyd’s death.

The question of whether Chauvin would testify was the subject of weeks of speculation.

The risks were high: Testifying could have opened him up to devastating cross-examination, with prosecutors replaying the video of the arrest and forcing Chauvin to explain, one frame at a time, why he kept pressing down on Floyd.