America's Legal System on Trial

You can believe your eyes and ears but our experts and their words are more accurate, defense lawyers are telling the 12 jurors in the Minneapolis murder trial of police officer Derek Chauvin, charged with the murder of George Floyd by keeping his knee on the victim’s neck for over nine minutes

- Kenneth Tiven in Washington

The state of Minnesota is in the spotlight because just 10 miles from where the George Floyd case is playing out, a veteran police officer shot and killed a young black man, Daunte Wright, during a traffic stop on Sunday, claiming she confused her taser and her Glock pistol. She and her chief have resigned. She is being charged with second-degree manslaughter. Community demonstrations have taken place for several nights but without the viral video, the emotional anger is more contained. The jury in the Derek Chauvin trial has been told by the judge to pay no attention to anything outside the case they will decide.

All the defense wants to do is plant the idea of reasonable doubt in the mind of at least one juror. A guilty verdict on one or all of the three charges requires unanimous consent among the jurors. In trying to reduce the impact of the nine-and-half-minute video of Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck they have produced several experts who have suggested that the literature on death by asphyxia does not support a murder charge against Chauvin. During cross-examination, the prosecution has emphasised the difference between controlled research and the reality outside the convenience store a year ago.