Chauvin trial Ex-officer convicted of Floyd murder
THE ex-police officer filmed with his knee on George Floyd’s neck, sparking worldwide protests against racism, has been convicted of murder and manslaughter.
The verdict, which was reached by a jury after less than a day of deliberations, was read out yesterday afternoon US time. Mr Floyd died on May 25 last year after Derek Chauvin, a 45year-old white officer, was seen on video kneeling on the 46-yearold black man’s neck for about nine-and-a-half minutes.
THE ex-police officer filmed with his knee on George Floyd’s neck, sparking global protests against racism, has been convicted on all charges after the jury delivered verdicts of second- and thirddegree murder and manslaughter.
The verdict – which was reached by the jury after less than a day of deliberations – was read out yesterday afternoon US time.
Mr Floyd died on May 25 last year after Derek Chauvin, a 45-year-old white officer, was seen on video kneeling on the 46-year-old black man’s neck for about nine-and-a-half minutes.
As Judge Cahill lead the jurors through their final duties, there was footage of the public outside court celebrating and cheering the guilty verdict.
Inside, Chauvin’s face remained almost expressionless beneath his face mask.
Following a recommendation from prosecutors, Judge Cahill revoked Chauvin’s bail.
He will remain in jail until he is sentenced. Chauvin was led from the court in handcuffs.
Earlier, US President Joe Biden has said he was “praying the verdict is the right verdict” in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Chauvin and that he believed the case to be “overwhelming”.
Mr Biden, ahead of a meeting with legislators in the Oval Office, told reporters that he was only weighing in on the trial over the death of George Floyd because the jury in the case had been sequestered.
He confirmed that he called Mr Floyd’s family on Monday and said he “can only imagine the pressure and anxiety they’re feeling”.
“They’re a good family and they’re calling for peace and tranquillity no matter what that verdict is,” Mr Biden said. “I’m praying the verdict is the right verdict. It’s overwhelming, in my view. I wouldn’t say that unless the jury was sequestered now.”
The President has repeatedly denounced Mr Floyd’s death but had previously stopped short of weighing in on the trial itself. His comments came as his administration has been privately weighing how to handle the upcoming verdict, including considering whether Mr Biden should address the nation and dispatching specially trained community facilitators from the Justice Department.
The 12 jurors – six of them white, and six black or multiracial – resumed deliberations yesterday morning after spending a few hours on Monday discussing the case behind closed doors.
In closing arguments earlier in the day, a prosecutor told jurors that Mr Chauvin “had to know” he was squeezing the life out of Mr Floyd.
Mr Floyd’s brother, Philonise Floyd, told NBC’S Today show that Mr Biden “knows how it is to lose a family member... so he was just letting us know that he was praying for us and hoping that everything would come out to be OK”.
After closing arguments, Judge Peter Cahill rejected a defence request for a mistrial based in part on comments by California representative Maxine Waters that protesters could get more confrontational if there was no guilty verdict.
The judge told Mr Chauvin’s lawyer: “I wish elected officials would stop talking about this case, especially in a manner that is disrespectful to the rule of law and to the judicial branch.”
During closing arguments on Monday, prosecutors said Mr Chauvin squeezed the life out of Mr Floyd by pinning his knee against his neck last May, ignoring bystanders, his own training and common sense.
The defence argued that the now-fired white officer acted reasonably and the 46-year-old black man died of an underlying heart condition and illegal drug use.
Mr Chauvin “had to know” he was squeezing the life out of Mr Floyd as he cried over and over that he could not breathe and finally fell silent, a prosecutor told the jury.
“Use your common sense. Believe your eyes,” Steve Schleicher said, referring to the video of Mr Floyd pinned to the pavement with the officer’s knee on or close to his neck last May for more than nine minutes.
They’re a good family and they’re calling for peace and tranquillity no matter what