Derek Chauvin Found Guilty Of 2nd & 3rd Degree Murder By Jury

Just 10 hours after the defense team representing former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin rested their case, the jury reached a speedy verdict of guilty of second and third degree murder. The jury also found Chauvin guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter. Chauvin was formally charged with second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. The jury’s decision hinged on one interpretation: whether or not Chauvin causes Floyd’s death and if his actions were reasonable.

Chauvin’s defense sought a mistrial verdict from Judge Peter Cahill due to the case’s publicity and comments from lawmakers like Rep. Maxine Waters (D-California) who pushed for Chauivn’s guilty verdict during a speech in Brooklyn Center, the site of another police killing of a black man.

President Joe Biden called the family of George Floyd Tuesday to offer further condolences to the family seeking justice for Floyd. George Floyd’s brother, Philonise Floyd, who took the stand during his brother’s trial, said of Biden, “He knows how it is to lose a family member, he knows the process of what we’re going through. So he was just letting us know that he was praying for us, hoping that everything will come out to be ok.”

Biden recently voiced his opinion on the Chauvin trial saying, “It’s overwhelming, in my view,” referring to the evidence against Chauvin, but that regarding a verdict, he “wouldn’t say that unless the jury was sequestered.”

Article by Brandon Mumei