George Floyd murderer's trial

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

I apologize for continually rewriting the op. I've decided it is best to provide at least one link for each day. Maybe an excerpt/quote but not comprehensive. So here goes...

Day 1

The Minnesota prosecutor Jerry Blackwell began, saying Chauvin betrayed his police principles. He also played the entire bystander video that showed Floyd begging for his life and then passing out as he is pinned to the street by officers, including Chauvin who presses on his neck for more than nine minutes.

Then Chauvin’s lead defense lawyer, Eric Nelson, set out his case, focusing on Floyd’s use of illicit drugs and his underlying health conditions. He argued that Chauvin followed his police training and should be found not guilty.

Day 2

More witnesses took the stand Tuesday in the murder trial of former Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin. Witnesses testifying described Chauvin was unmoved by their pleas as he kept his knee on George Floyd's neck.
...
Chauvin continued to kneel on Floyd while fellow Officer Tou Thao held the crowd of about 15 back, even when one of the onlookers identified herself as a firefighter and pleaded repeatedly to check Floyd's pulse, according to witnesses and bystander video.

The firefighter, Genevieve Hansen, wept on the witness stand as she recalled how she was not allowed to give any medical assistance or tell the police what to do, such as administering chest compressions.

"There was a man being killed," said Hansen, who testified in her dress uniform and detailed her emergency medical technician training. "I would have been able to provide medical attention to the best of my abilities. And this human was denied that right."

Day 3:

The third day of testimony at Derek Chauvin’s murder trial revealed more details about the events that led up to George Floyd’s fatal encounter with the then-Minneapolis police officer.

The jury on Wednesday heard from witnesses who interacted with Floyd before he died under Chauvin’s knee on May 25, 2020, including testimony from a cashier at Cup Foods, the convenience store where Floyd purchased cigarettes before his arrest. Prosecutors also showed body camera footage that provided a closer look at the attempts by Chauvin and his fellow officers to restrain Floyd.

Day 4

Two Hennepin County paramedics who treated Floyd last May said he was unresponsive, not breathing and had no pulse when they arrived on the scene.

"In layman terms, I thought he was dead," paramedic Derek Smith said.

Smith and his partner Seth Bravinder were first called to the scene as a non-emergency Code 2 for a mouth injury, but about a minute and half later, the call was upgraded to a Code 3 -- meaning the ambulance uses lights and sirens.

When they arrived at the scene, Floyd did not appear to be breathing or moving, they testified. Smith checked Floyd's pulse and pupils -- with Chauvin still kneeling on him -- and believed his heart had stopped. They then moved to get him onto a stretcher, and Bravinder bent down and motioned for Chauvin to lift his knee off Floyd.

More on Day 4:

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin should not have knelt on George Floyd’s neck after he stopped resisting, a former supervisor told jurors on the fourth day of testimony in Chauvin’s murder trial, as more details emerged about the aftermath of Floyd’s arrest.

The supervisor, now-retired sergeant David Pleoger, said Thursday that Chauvin never mentioned holding his knee to Floyd’s neck in their first call after the incident. Body camera footage captured Chauvin telling Pleoger that officers “had” to hold Floyd down and that “he was going crazy.”

 

[Derec]

Nothing like declaring the verdict before the trial.

 

[Rhea]

Thanks for these recaps, Don. It is useful to have the separate days described. There is so much evidence being presented, it helps to have it is the same sequence as the jury is hearing it.

Several people on this forum, in several places, have declared that Floyd’s death was clearly not at Chauvin’s hands, and turn around and sneer, “oh look you’re saying that Chauvin caused it before the trial is done?” Completely unaware that they have already declared their conclusion before the trial is done. One can see why they would want to change the topic away from the clear evidence and start pointing fingers at the messengers as a way of absolving Chauvin by distraction.

As we see the defense show what they think is their very best support for the non-responsibility of the man who knelt for five minutes on the neck of a man begging for air and then knelt for four more minutes on his limp corpse, their defense does not bring much strength to absolving him of the accusation.

 

[Jarhyn]

I reiterate that there is nothing wrong with making observations that when you drop something, it will accelerate to the deepest gravity well at a predictable rate.

Recognizing that the conclusion is foregone is not a problem. The problem would be in not holding a trial at all, or conducting it any differently than any other trial.

If you want a trial you can win, don't murder someone on camera.

 

[ZiprHead]

Nothing like declaring the verdict before the trial.

So presenting the evidence is declaring the verdict before the trial.

 

[Rhea]

If you want a trial you can win, don't murder someone on camera.

Meanwhile, I continue to acknowledge that many MANY trials against cops that I thought had overwhelming evidence were nevertheless ended in acquittal. Not becuase good evidence overcame the culpatory evidence, but for reasons of technicalities and unexplained juror reticence. Perhaps they are “scared of the potential backlash” by police.

So it remains fully possible that what the evidence shows overwhelmingly to be a deliberate application of unecessary force that led to a death, may still result in an acquittal.

 

[Jarhyn]

If you want a trial you can win, don't murder someone on camera.

Meanwhile, I continue to acknowledge that many MANY trials against cops that I thought had overwhelming evidence were nevertheless ended in acquittal. Not becuase good evidence overcame the culpatory evidence, but for reasons of technicalities and unexplained juror reticence. Perhaps they are “scared of the potential backlash” by police.

So it remains fully possible that what the evidence shows overwhelmingly to be a deliberate application of unecessary force that led to a death, may still result in an acquittal.

I will accept this as an unfortunate reality of the situation: that someone will nullify a jury because the defendant is a cop (a statement by the juror that equal protection of the law is a bad law), rather than because of an actual bad law.

 

[Gospel]

Nothing like declaring the verdict before the trial.

Police officers are not known for being held accountable so you don't have much to be concerned about.

 

[Gospel]

I've been watching the trial when I can (I have a job and am not an old angry at blacks white man with a lot of free time). Has anyone heard mention of the counterfeit 20 yet? I have this feeling there was no counterfeit 20.

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

I've been watching the trial when I can (I have a job and am not an old angry at blacks white man with a lot of free time). Has anyone heard mention of the counterfeit 20 yet? I have this feeling there was no counterfeit 20.

Yes. I read about it. The counterfeit was thought to be counterfeit by the cashier in the store. He also presumed Floyd was out of it and didn't realize it was counterfeit. So, he was letting it slide. The boss, though, got mad about it and wanted to call the police. The cashier said, he'd give up his own $20 to make it right, but the boss insisted and called the police. That doesn't mean 100% that it was counterfeit but it seems like it.

From the Day 3 link in the op:

Christopher Martin, a 19-year-old former Cup Foods employee who sold Floyd cigarettes before police were called, told prosecutors Wednesday that Floyd used a counterfeit bill to purchase the item. But under questioning from Chauvin’s attorney, Eric Nelson, Martin said he believed that Floyd didn’t know the bill was fake.

“You made the decision after Floyd handed you this counterfeit $20 bill that you weren’t going to call him out on it?” Nelson asked. “Was that in part because you felt maybe he’s under the influence?”

“Partially,” Martin said. “I thought that George really didn’t know it was a fake, so I thought I’d be doing him a favor.”

Martin testified that Floyd appeared to be under the influence of something when he spoke to him as well, because he was speaking very slowly.

The ninth witness to testify at the trial, Martin was asked by prosecutors to provide a narrative description for footage taken by the store’s security camera that showed Floyd interacting with staff and other customers.

“He seemed very friendly, approachable. He was talkative, just having an average Memorial Day, living his life,” Martin said. “But he did seem high.”

Martin testified that the manager at Cup Foods called the police about the counterfeit bill, adding that he had offered to use his own money to cover the debt and felt guilt over the incident that followed after police arrived.

“If I would have just not [taken] the bill,” he said, “this could have been avoided.”

I don't know if irony would be the appropriate word to describe it if the bill wasn't counterfeit after all. Kafkaesque doesn't seem to quite cover it either.

 

[repoman]

You're a fucking joke with that thread title, Don.

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

You're a fucking joke with that thread title, Don.

It is quite clear that Chauvin murdered Floyd, but whether the trial gives that result is another matter. We will see what happens and document each day. If you have something of substance regarding the trial evidence, you'd like to discuss in the thread, please, the floor is yours.

 

[Gospel]

I've been watching the trial when I can (I have a job and am not an old angry at blacks white man with a lot of free time). Has anyone heard mention of the counterfeit 20 yet? I have this feeling there was no counterfeit 20.

Yes. I read about it. The counterfeit was thought to be counterfeit by the cashier in the store. He also presumed Floyd was out of it and didn't realize it was counterfeit. So, he was letting it slide. The boss, though, got mad about it and wanted to call the police. The cashier said, he'd give up his own $20 to make it right, but the boss insisted and called the police. That doesn't mean 100% that it was counterfeit but it seems like it.

From the Day 3 link in the op:

Christopher Martin, a 19-year-old former Cup Foods employee who sold Floyd cigarettes before police were called, told prosecutors Wednesday that Floyd used a counterfeit bill to purchase the item. But under questioning from Chauvin’s attorney, Eric Nelson, Martin said he believed that Floyd didn’t know the bill was fake.

“You made the decision after Floyd handed you this counterfeit $20 bill that you weren’t going to call him out on it?” Nelson asked. “Was that in part because you felt maybe he’s under the influence?”

“Partially,” Martin said. “I thought that George really didn’t know it was a fake, so I thought I’d be doing him a favor.”

Martin testified that Floyd appeared to be under the influence of something when he spoke to him as well, because he was speaking very slowly.

The ninth witness to testify at the trial, Martin was asked by prosecutors to provide a narrative description for footage taken by the store’s security camera that showed Floyd interacting with staff and other customers.

“He seemed very friendly, approachable. He was talkative, just having an average Memorial Day, living his life,” Martin said. “But he did seem high.”

Martin testified that the manager at Cup Foods called the police about the counterfeit bill, adding that he had offered to use his own money to cover the debt and felt guilt over the incident that followed after police arrived.

“If I would have just not [taken] the bill,” he said, “this could have been avoided.”

I don't know if irony would be the appropriate word to describe it if the bill wasn't counterfeit after all. Kafkaesque doesn't seem to quite cover it either.

Floyd was being arrested (and died during said arrest) over a counterfeit 20. The police better have that counterfeit 20.

 

[Rhea]

Floyd was being arrested (and died during said arrest) over a counterfeit 20. The police better have that counterfeit 20.

Indeed. I cannot imagine any excuse whatsover for them being unable to produce it in court. With satisfactory chain of evidence.

 

[Gospel]

Nothing like declaring the verdict before the trial.

So presenting the evidence is declaring the verdict before the trial.

I think Derec was referring to the thread title. If I'm wrong is there a way that I can retract reputation?

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

Day 5

Jurors heard from two Minneapolis police officers today during the fifth day of testimony in the murder trial of former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin.

The high-ranking officers described what they saw on May 25, 2020, at the scene after George Floyd died. Trial proceedings ended early Friday, but will resume Monday morning.

Here's what happened today in court:

• Lt. Richard Zimmerman, who leads the Minneapolis Police's homicide unit and responded to the crime scene the night Floyd died, told the court that the use of force by Chauvin against Floyd was “totally unnecessary.” Zimmerman said the restraint should have “absolutely” stopped once Floyd was handcuffed and on the ground. The lieutenant said the actions like those used on Floyd are not part of police department training, saying “if your knee is on a person’s neck, that could kill them.”
• Sgt. Jon Curtis Edwards was an overnight sergeant working at the Minneapolis Police Department’s third precinct the night Floyd died. He described how he secured the crime scene and made contact with J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane, who were the only two officers there. Edwards said he had his body camera activated when he arrived, but neither officer had their body camera on when he met them. He asked both of them to activate them.

https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/derek-chauvin-trial-04-02-21/index.html

 

[Gospel]

Lt. Richard Zimmerman should be arrested for inciting a riot. I'm almost certain (based on the conviction record of police officers in Minneapolis) that Chauvin will be acquitted and such language is only dumping a bucket of Chlorine Trifluoride on the sun.

 

[Jarhyn]

Nothing like declaring the verdict before the trial.

So presenting the evidence is declaring the verdict before the trial.

I think Derec was referring to the thread title. If I'm wrong is there a way that I can retract reputation?

There used to be a way. Sorry about that.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

If you want a trial you can win, don't murder someone on camera.

Meanwhile, I continue to acknowledge that many MANY trials against cops that I thought had overwhelming evidence were nevertheless ended in acquittal. Not becuase good evidence overcame the culpatory evidence, but for reasons of technicalities and unexplained juror reticence. Perhaps they are “scared of the potential backlash” by police.

So it remains fully possible that what the evidence shows overwhelmingly to be a deliberate application of unecessary force that led to a death, may still result in an acquittal.

Something to keep in mind: The press tends to report the sensational bits, the jury sees a much bigger picture.

For example, in the Michael Brown case much of the testimony saying he did nothing wrong came from people who couldn't actually have witnessed what they claimed to have. The press barely touched on that aspect of it.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Floyd was being arrested (and died during said arrest) over a counterfeit 20. The police better have that counterfeit 20.

I don't think the 20 even matters.

What I want to know is why they took him out of the car and kneeled on him. Why he was in the car is immaterial to that.