Derek Chauvin trial

It's only relevant if you think those who have committed crimes in the past should be executed by the method of kneeling on someone's neck.

Why are you telling us that JE? Why do you think it's relevant?

Is he charged with 2nd and 3rd degree murder? And manslaughter?

I don't think he's charged with 1st degree because that is for cases where someone set out to kill. That was their intention.

I'd find him guilty of 2nd degree but not sure he will be.

If it's manslaughter then he might only get 4 years

If he is acquitted I'd be tempted to fly over there to join in with the protesting.

The fact that he's been at home this last few months is infuriating.

I don’t know what is poignant about breaking into a pregnant woman’s home and pointing a gun at her stomach which is what he did.

Ok we all know what happened to him was wrong but Floyd was a hardened criminal.

M0nica

Of course he will not be found guilty, American police offices are never found guilty of anything.

They are when they are black

Smileless2012

The consequences if he's acquitted don't bare thinking about.

I’m curious what you mean by consequences if he is acquitted?

Do you mean because people will protest?

Or because it will uphold the standard that police can kill Black people with impunity?

The outcome is bound to be interesting and will have repercussions whatever the jury decision.

There are different degrees of murder, as was found in this case which for some inexplicable reason did not really hit the headlines except in Australia and women's groups in the USA :

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-48113953

And I am not overly confident the murderer will be found guilty. The list of African Americans murdered and no conviction despite huge evidence, including vidoe evidence, is no guarantee of a guilty verdict in the USA.

Let's hope Biden's USA is an improvement on Trump's.

If he is not found guilty, yes, there will be race riots. As there should be. Forget this 'jumping on the bandwagon' nonsense.

If the police are allowed to kill unarmed people in public, of course the public should protest.

If the police are allowed to kill unarmed people, asleep in their beds (Breonna Taylor), the very fabric of a society has broken down.

Gannygangan

I'm certain he will be found guilty. He is guilty. We all saw it.

Completely agree

Exactly Gannygangan.

I thought the same 25Avalon when I saw the crowd outside the court.

There were two pms which came to very different conclusions ( think Ian Tomlinson here). Floyd’s life story makes for interesting and quite poignant reading - especially the last 7 years. But the defence of course will want to paint him in the darkest light.

It’s got to be on facts if justice is to be done not on a mob baying for his blood. Did Floyd’s drug taking and heart condition cause his death or was it exacerbated by Chauvin’s action? Then is it murder or manslaughter or even not guilty?
And who authorised police officers to use kneeling on someone’s neck as a means of restraint anyway - are they free of blame? True, Floyd was a convicted criminal and drug taker but that is beside the point. I hope Chauvin get’s a fair trial and that the outcome is accepted by all, and that whatever the outcome there are investigations into how the police train and monitor their officers.

We can only hope that it does this time.

Well, it hasn't in the past.

Beyond reasonable doubt applies to the American system as well as our own and as it is here, the onus is on the prosecution to prove guilt rather than on the defence to prove innocence.

Both 'sides' will use whatever they can to prove their case which will have included the selection of the jury.

Fingers crossed that justice prevails.

Yes I should have mentioned Floyd to make it clear what this was about.

I am sure the defence will mention Floyd’s health problems plus drug and alcohol use.

If the prosecution can make the case that what the officer did was within acceptable limits of force, then he'll get off.

Whether the officer has a history of this kind of thing, whether it will cause outrage among the US population, whether Floyd had a health condition or not, if his lawyers can put any doubt into the jury's mind that about whether he intended to kill him or not, he'll get off.

Courts have a habit of swaying towards what the officers have to say----but the final decision is from the judge isn't it ?

Video's that were taken at the scene tell all, not something that I could watch closely and scrutinise. I had to turn away. Murder in cold blood---horrendous. With a background such as Chauvin's I'd have said it was intentional.

That should support the prosecution's case EllanVannin.

I think that the whole world seeing that distressing video will have a lot to do with it M0nica and I certainly hope so.

Smileless2012 what has the fact the world saw iwhat he did got to do with a conviction for doing it?There have been other cases where the evidence has been on film and still the police man has been acquitted.

I believe Chauvin's defence is that the deceased had a drug habit, had asthma or heart problems, or other problems that caused his death. At worst he will get a manslaughter conviction and a derisory sentence,.

I think it is more likely he will get off. They always do, what has evidence got to do with it?

The defense were saying that force was not attractive but a necessary part of policing ?
During his time as an officer there'd been at least 22 complaints into his performance as an officer.
It sounds as though he's been a bully over many years of his service.

I agree Gannygangan how can he not be. The whole world saw it.

I'm certain he will be found guilty. He is guilty. We all saw it.