George Floyd: Jury sent out to deliberate Derek Chauvin murder case
The jury's verdict will have an impact on Minneapolis and the United States, ITV News US Correspondent Emma Murphy reports
The jury have been sent out in the murder case against former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin over the death of George Floyd.
The 12 jurors - six of them white, and six black or multiracial - are beginning deliberations after closing statements were made on Monday at Hennepin County Courthouse, Minneapolis.
Former police officer Chauvin, 45, is accused of killing Mr Floyd, a 46-year-old black man. He is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
The jury will deliberate in a downtown courthouse surrounded by concrete barriers and razor wire, as racial tensions bubble in the city.
For all three charges, the jury will have to decide if Chauvin's actions were a “substantial causal factor” in Mr Floyd’s death, and if his use of force was unreasonable.
Derek Chauvin 'had to know' Floyd was dying as he knelt on neck, prosecutor says in murder trial
The most serious charge, second-degree murder requires proof that Chauvin intended to harm Mr Floyd, but not necessarily that he intended to kill him. The maximum sentence is 40 years in jail.
Third-degree murder requires proof that Chauvin’s actions were “eminently dangerous” and done with indifference to loss of life. The maximum sentence is 25 years.
However, sentencing guidelines on both murder charges call for far less time, including 12.5 years.
Second-degree manslaughter requires proof that Mr Floyd's death was caused by negligence and that Chauvin consciously took the risk of causing severe injury or death. The maximum sentence is 10 years.
Judge Peter Cahill advised jurors to consider each charge separately.
Derek Chauvin does not testify at his murder trial
Prosecutors argued Chauvin "had to know" George Floyd was dying as he had his knee on Mr Floyd's neck.
But the defence team argued Chauvin did what any "reasonable" police officer would have done as he was in a "dynamic" and "fluid" situation where a large man was struggling with three officers.
Prosecutor Steve Schleicher said Chauvin was “on top of him (Mr Floyd) for 9 minutes and 29 seconds and he had to know.”
Mr Schleicher said: “George Floyd’s final words on May 25, 2020 were ‘Please, I can’t breathe.’ And he said those words to Mr. Officer. He said those words to the defendant."
“The defendant heard him say that over and over. He heard him, but he just didn’t listen. He continued to push him down, to grind into him, to shimmy, to twist his hand for 9 minutes and 29 seconds. He begged. George Floyd begged until he could speak no more, and the defendant continued this assault,” said Mr Schleicher, who repeatedly used the word “assault".
Prosecutors need to convince jurors that there was underlying assault for Chauvin to be convicted of the most serious charge of second-degree murder.
Defence lawyer Eric Nelson, who represents Chauvin, argued Mr Floyd died of heart disease and illegal drug use, namely of fentanyl and methamphetamine.
The defence lawyer said Hennepin County Medical Examiner Dr Andrew Baker, who performed the autopsy of Mr Floyd's body, listed the 46-year-old's drug use and underlying health problems as contributing factors to his death.
But the county medical examiner did rule Mr Floyd's death a homicide, saying his heart gave out because of the way police pinned him down.
Prosecutor Mr Schleicher rebuffed the defence's argument saying the level of drugs in Mr Floyd's body was "well below the level" to cause death.
He said Mr Floyd's heart failed because of the police's use of force. He cited the claim by lung and critical care specialist Martin Tobin that Mr Floyd died due to lack of oxygen while being pinned down.
The defence team also claimed Mr Floyd put himself at risk by resisting officers.
But Mr Schleicher argued Mr Floyd being big and being on drugs did not justify the police officer's use of force.