Officer with knee to Floyd’s neck to be tried alone
MINNEAPOLIS – A former Minneapolis police officer who held his knee to the neck of George Floyd for minutes will be tried separately from the three other former officers accused in Floyd’s death.
Derek Chauvin will stand trial in March while the other former officers will be tried together in the summer. 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 would be present.
Prosecutors disagreed with the judge’s decision to split the trials. 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.
Floyd, a Black man, died May 25 after Chauvin, who is white, pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck while Floyd was handcuffed face down. Police were investigating if Floyd used a counterfeit bill at a nearby store. In a video widely seen on social media, Floyd could be heard pleading with officers for air, saying he couldn’t breathe.
Floyd’s death sparked protests in Minneapolis and elsewhere and renewed calls for an end to police brutality and racial inequities.
Chauvin is charged with seconddegree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd’s death. Former officers Lane, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng are each charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder, as well as aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.
Last week, prosecutors asked Cahill to 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 problems with the vaccine rollout.”
Cahill said that Hennepin County Chief Judge Toddrick Barnette requested the change after learning that each defendant planned to have cocounsel or legal support at the defense tables. Barnette looked at the configuration and concluded that with so many people, the space was not conducive to social distancing.