Testimony is entering its third week in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the fired Minneapolis officer charged in George Floyd’s death. Before the jury was called into the courtroom Monday, a judge denied a defense request for the jury to be further questioned and sequestered in light of the fatal police shooting Sunday of a driver in nearby Brooklyn Center, which led to protests.
“This incident last night highlights, I think, brings to the forefront of the jury’s mindset that a verdict in this case is going to have consequences,” defense attorney Eric Nelson said.
Judge Peter Cahill said the Brooklyn Center shooting is a “totally different case,” and said sequestering the jury now might heighten their safety concerns. He said the jury will be sequestered once they begin their deliberations.
The ruling comes after medical experts and forensic pathologists testified last week about Floyd’s cause of death. How Floyd died has been a key point of contention at the trial. Prosecutors argue he died of oxygen deprivation under the weight of officers pinning him down during the fatal May 2020 arrest, while the defense argues the drugs he ingested combined with underlying heart disease caused a fatal heart arrhythmia.
On Friday, Hennepin County medical examiner Dr. Andrew Baker, who conducted Floyd’s autopsy, testified that heart disease and drugs contributed to but didn’t directly cause Floyd’s death.
Baker’s testimony came after three medical experts testified for the prosecution that Floyd died of oxygen deprivation — not drugs, as the defense has suggested.
Chauvin, who was seen in disturbing videos kneeling on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes, is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
Chauvin has pleaded not guilty. The other three officers involved are charged with aiding and abetting, and are expected to be tried jointly in August.
