While the jury continued for a third day Thursday in the trial for Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer, one judge was dismissed with reason after she explained she could not see what she described as the ‘traumatic’ ‘bystander not. video showing how a knee was pressed to George Floyd’s neck – and said that the riot that was necessary after his death to promote the BLM movement.
Judge Peter Cahill in Hennepin County dismissed the woman identified as ‘Juror # 37’ and doubted she could reasonably suspect Chauvin was innocent until convicted. By the end of the day on Wednesday, five jurors – out of the finally 14 wanted – were sitting, and the interrogation continues on Thursday.
“I’m going to concentrate on one case and that is the suspicion of innocence,” Cahill said, addressing ‘Juror # 37’. “Do you think you could do that – assume he’s innocent when you enter the courtroom?”
“I would not like the verdict,” she said, before the judge intervened, “if it were so if it was ‘innocent.’ “
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Cahill honestly thanked the woman for this and fired her. The judge addressed the defense and prosecutors after she left, and when he finally gave the space to say: how do you feel, do you think you are sitting here now and it should be now, not later? do you suppose the accused is innocent? She answered unequivocally, no. ‘
In an earlier line of interrogation by Chauvin’s attorney, Eric Nelson, the woman repeated that she had written a long paragraph about her judge questionnaire saying she believed Chauvin had a “hateful look on his face” while kneeling in Floyd’s neck pressed in the bystander video that went online last May.
In this photo taken from the video, Defense Attorney Eric Nelson and the accused, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, listen right to Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill during pre-trial proposals, before the jury continues in the trial of Chauvin is continued. March 11, 2021 at the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis, Minn Chauvin is charged in the death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020. (Court TV / pool via pool)
She said in the questionnaire that she has a neutral opinion towards Floyd because she did not know him personally, but she has seen media reports about family members saying he is a ‘good guy’. Before completing the questionnaire, the woman said she had seen footage of the body and camera three or four times that saw Chauvin and Floyd’s interaction on May 25, 2020 – but she could only watch the video of bystanders once. seen from beginning to end due to her strong emotional response.
“The one where you can hear him call out to his mother,” she said. “I could only look at it once.”
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The jury member wrote in the questionnaire that she was crying when she watched the video. Because the bystander video was submitted as evidence in the case, Nelson pointed out that anyone sitting on the jury would have to watch the video again.
The jury member wrote in the questionnaire that her community was negatively and positively affected.
“I mean negatively affected because a life was taken – positively affected because it became a movement and the whole world knows about it,” she told the court, explaining the answer.
Nelson insisted on the question of whether his case damage as a result of riots after Floyd’s death was considered a negative effect.
“I feel like that was what had to happen to bring it to the world’s attention, and that’s what had to happen,” she said.
Nelson read the following question in the questionnaire that was asked: “No matter what you have seen or heard about this matter and no matter what opinions you would have formed, you can put it all aside and only about the evidence you receive in this case decided? in court follow the law and decide the case in a fair and impartial manner? ‘
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The woman wrote: “Yes, I can be fair and follow the law, but I can not see the video.”
“This is what I ask you to do, look into your heart and look into your mind, can you unequivocally assure us that you can put it all aside? All this and focus only on the evidence presented here in courtroom?” Nelson.
“I can assure you,” she replied. “But as you mentioned earlier, the video will be a big part of the evidence and I can’t change it.”
In this image taken from the video, Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill speaks during pre-trial hearing before the jury’s ongoing hearing in the trial of Derek Chauvin, former Minneapolis police officer, on Thursday, March 11, 2021 in Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis, Minn. Chauvin is charged in the death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020. (Court TV / pool via AP)
Following the dismissal of the jury, the state’s special lawyer, Steven Schleicher, objected to the court wanting to dismiss her with reason and argued that she stated that she could set aside her opinions in the case and that the defense want to use mandatory challenges. to remove her, they could have.
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Nelson said the defense had filed a motion for a case over some unequivocal statements’ by the jury about her ability to be impartial in terms of how the video affected her emotionally. Cahill granted the motion and dismissed her with reason about the suspicion of innocence issue.
“I admit that this juror said she could set her opinions aside,” Nelson said. “When she was even pushed by the state, she had a very hard time, and it was very hard to admit that she could apply the presumption of innocence because of her watching the video. And then it would be essentially that she was already her made up the mind. ‘