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The jury begins its deliberation in the trial against Derek Chauvin while Minneapolis is shielded for the wait

2021-04-20T00:58:52.241Z


Following final arguments by the prosecution and defense in the George Floyd case, the city awaits verdict with tension compounded by the death of Daunte Wright at the hands of the police.


After almost three weeks of testimony and after hearing the final arguments this Monday afternoon in the trial against Derek Chauvin for the death of George Floyd at the hands of the police, the jury will begin deliberations.

"His name was George Perry Floyd Jr. and he was born on October 14, 1973 in Fayetteville, North Carolina."

Thus began the prosecutor Steve Schleicher his final argument in the trial for George Floyd, the black man suffocated by an agent in Minneapolis last May and whose trial faces its final stretch this Monday with the deliberation of the jury.

Schleicher's solemn opening was a preview of the prosecution's final argument, which attempted to remind the jury why the actions of Derek Chauvin, the former agent accused of suffocating Floyd to death, deserve a guilty verdict and appealed to his humanity, recalling that the victim had a family. 

“This is not George Floyd's trial.

He is not being tried here, "

said the prosecutor.

"This case is called 'State of Minnesota vs. Derek Chauvin'; it's not called 'State of Minnesota vs. Police," Schleicher clarified before the jury during closing arguments in this trial.

In his arguments, the prosecutor said that being a policeman is "a noble profession", but that Chauvin "betrayed his badge and everything it stood for" when he pressed his knee to Floyd's neck for nine minutes and 29 seconds.

[Physician who certified George Floyd's death says suffocation was the most likely cause of death]

"He had to know," Schleicher added, emphasizing the amount of time Chauvin dug his knee into Floyd's neck, keeping the pressure on even after the ambulance arrived.

“It was not a police surveillance, it was unnecessary, it was gratuitous and he did it on purpose.

It was not an accident, "added the prosecutor.

Minneapolis shields itself as it awaits jury verdict in George Floyd case

April 18, 202101: 40

"The defendant is being tried not because of who he was, but because of what he did," Schleicher said, pointing to a photo of Chauvin with his knee on Floyd's neck.

"He knew how to do it better, he simply did not do it," added the prosecutor, who recalled that it was not "a prosecution, but the accused."

Chauvin's defense attorney began his argument by reminding the jury that his client is presumed innocent of the charges he faces and that the prosecution must prove his case beyond a reasonable doubt.

"It is presumed that he is innocent of these charges and this presumption remains during the course of the trial, the presentation of the evidence, during the course of its deliberations, until the state has proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt," said the attorney Eric Nelson.

"There is absolutely no evidence that Officer Chauvin intentionally and deliberately applied illegal force

,

" he

added.

"These are officers doing their job in a very stressful situation, according to their training, according to the policies of the Minneapolis Police Department," he said.

"And it's tragic, it's tragic," he continued, the first time that Chauvin's part showed some kind of empathy about the event.

Nelson alleged that Chauvin did not intend to hurt Floyd, noting that the arresting officers called for an ambulance twice while holding him.

Michael Wilson, left, of Minneapolis, hugs Phoenix Robles of New York City near a mural at the site where George Floyd was killed, Sunday, April 18, 2021, in Minneapolis. AP Photo / July Cortez

"All the evidence shows that Chauvin thought he was following his training. In fact, he was following his training. He was following the policies of the Minneapolis Police Department. He was trained this way. It all shows a lack of intention. There is absolutely no evidence that officer Chauvin has intentionally applied illegal force, "he argued.

The defense told jurors to consider the "totality of facts and circumstances" known to the former officer when considering

whether a "reasonable officer" would have restrained Floyd in the way he did

.

"The proper analysis is to take those nine minutes and 29 seconds and put them in the context of the circumstances of a reasonable police officer," Nelson argued when discussing whether Chauvin's use of force was justified.

"The nine minutes and 29 seconds ignore the previous 16 minutes and 59 seconds," added the defense attorney. 

Nelson recounted the moment they struggled to get Floyd to the patrol car: "The futility of their efforts became apparent. They couldn't get him into the car. Three Minneapolis cops couldn't get him into the car. They are experiencing that themselves. , that rush of adrenaline. A reasonable police officer will experience that rush of adrenaline and, again, balance all the evidence against each other, "he argued.

Former police officer Derek Chauvin resigns to testify in the trial against him for the death of George Floyd

April 16, 202100: 23

Nelson put particular emphasis on what happened before Floyd was pinned to the pavement: “Not a single use of force expert who testified, not a single police officer who testified, said that nothing at this point was illegal. or unreasonable. "

In his rebuttal of the defense's final arguments, Special Counsel Jerry Blackwell told jurors that he would be the last attorney to speak to them and that it would not "take too long."

In the final moments of his rebuttal, Blackwell flipped the defense argument that George Floyd died due to his heart being larger than normal, among other health problems.

"The reason George Floyd is dead is because Mr. Chauvin's heart was too small

," Blackwell said.

[The autopsy confirms that Daunte Wright was killed by a gunshot in the chest.

The mayor asks for the resignation of the agent who shot him]

Throughout the trial, which began on March 29, the Prosecutor's Office has argued that Floyd died of suffocation caused by the pressure on Chauvin's knee, while the defense has argued that his death was for other reasons, such as illness. underlying causes, high blood pressure, opiate use and stress of the moment, among others.

Since the trial began 22 days ago,

at least 64 people have lost their lives at the hands of the police

.

More than half of the victims were black or Latino people, according to a count compiled by The New York Times.

Of the 64 deaths (three per day on average), at least 42 involved people accused of wielding firearms.

In more than a dozen of these incidents there were clashes with people suffering from mental problems or a crisis.

And at least 10 emerged when police responded to a domestic violence complaint.

Most of the victims were under 30 years old and four were teenagers.

The death with the greatest social impact was that of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old black man who was fatally shot by a police officer in Brooklyn Center, less than 10 miles from the courthouse where Officer Derek Chauvin is on trial for suffocating George Floyd.

This incident raised the tension in Minneapolis, where this Monday the final phase of the judicial process begins with the arguments of the Prosecutor's Office and defense. 

More than 4,000 personnel from the National Guard and nine state and local police departments have been deployed to shield this Minnesota city from fear of further violent protests. 

For Chauvin to be convicted, the 12 jurors must reach a unanimous verdict on any of the charges he is charged with.

They agree to compensate George Floyd's family with $ 27 million

March 12, 202101: 00



The ex-agent is charged with the crimes of murder in the second degree, punishable by up to 40 years in prison;

murder in the third degree, with a maximum sentence of 25 years, and murder in the second degree, which carries up to 10 years of deprivation of liberty.

Chauvin, 45, has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

[Former police officer Derek Chauvin uses the Fifth Amendment not to testify for the death of George Floyd]

However, as he has no criminal record, he

could

only

be sentenced to a maximum of 12 and a half years in prison for the first two charges and four years in prison for the third

.

The final arguments of the defense and the prosecution began this Monday and, subsequently, the members of the jury will be isolated and locked up in a hotel to review all the evidence presented at the trial and reach a ruling.

The verdict could come in hours, days or weeks.

President Joe Biden is expected to comment after the Derek Chauvin murder trial jury returns a verdict, according to several administration officials.

Facebook said Monday that it plans to limit posts containing misinformation and hate speech related to the trial to try to prevent real-world riots.

Since 2013, with a slight drop due to the pandemic, about 1,100 people have been killed each year by police officers, according to databases compiled by Mapping Police Violence, a research and advocacy group that examines all of those murders, including non police.

gun-related deaths like George Floyd's.

With information from The New York Times.

Source: telemundo

All news articles on 2021-04-20

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