Derek Chauvin Has Been Found Guilty of Murdering George Floyd
Written by SOURCE on April 20, 2021
On Tuesday, a verdict was reached in the murder trial of Derek Chauvin, the now-former Minneapolis cop who was filmed fatally holding his knee to George Floyd’s neck for nine minutes and 29 seconds on May 25, 2020.
Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all three counts—second degree murder, third degree murder, and second degree manslaughter.
The trial spanned more than two weeks, with closing arguments being delivered on Monday, April 19. During a moment from the prosecution’s rebuttal to the defense’s closing argument, prosecutor Jerry Blackwell urged jurors to realize they already knew “the truth” about what happened last May.
“You were told, for example, that Mr. Floyd died because his heart was too big,” Blackwell said Monday. “You heard that testimony and now—having seen all of the evidence, having heard all of the evidence—you know the truth. And the truth of the matter is that the reason George Floyd is dead is because Mr. Chauvin’s heart was too small.”
Among those called to the stand by the defense during the trial was retired pathologist Dr. David Fowler, an ex-chief medical examiner in Maryland who’s currently at the center of a lawsuit alleging he participated in a police cover-up about the 2018 death of 19-year-old Anton Black, who died in police custody.
President Joe Biden, who was previously confirmed to have spoken on the phone with Floyd’s family, said on Tuesday ahead of the announcement of the jury’s decision that he was “praying the verdict is the right verdict.” Biden is also expected to make a formal statement shortly.
“I think it’s overwhelming, in my view,” Biden said the day after closing arguments were delivered, per the Associated Press. “I wouldn’t say that unless the jury was sequestered now.”
This story is being updated.
