Eight months after the death of George Floyd, details of authorized information for the trial of ex-officer Derek Chauvin have been ruled.
With the trial less than two months away; Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahil has ruled Floyd’s previous arrests can not be used at the trials of four former Minneapolis police officers. The decision, made public on Tuesday, after an attorney for Floyd’s family called the defense’s comments character assassination and “blame-the-victim approach” used to sway public opinion outside of court.
Along with this decision, Judge Cahil also ruled prosecutors could inform jurors about a June 2017 arrest where ex-officer Chauvin once again restrained a female using his knee on her neck to pin her down.
On May 5th, 2020, George Floyd was arrested due to claims of him using a counterfeit $20 bill. The arrest led to a handcuffed Floyd being killed while Chauvin’s knee pressed on his neck for eight minutes and forty-six seconds. The tragedy was caught on camera and the echoes of George Floyd’s last words: “I can’t breathe” led to countless protest across the nation.
Hennepin County has scheduled Chauvin’s trial to begin on March 8,2021 with the remainging defendents’ trial arranged for August 2021.
Tiara Cooper
