14th jury member sits for trial of Derek Chauvin
A 14th jury member has been arraigned for the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer charged with the death of George Floyd. At least one more juror is needed before he opens statements next week. (March 22)
AP
MINNEAPOLIS – A jury has been chosen to determine the fate of a former Minneapolis police officer who knelt at George Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes, with nine women and six men ruling a case that forced a renewed settlement on racial equality in the US
After 11 days of questioning by defense and prosecution attorneys, the jury was selected Tuesday when the 15th jury member was selected. Twelve of the jurors will deliberate, two will serve as deputies and one will be dismissed if all the others turn up Monday for opening statements.
The panel contains six jurors of color, including three black men, one black woman and two mixed women. Nine jurors are white.
Floyd, a black man, died in police custody on May 25, 2020 after Derek Chauvin, who is white, pinned his knee to Floyd’s neck after a confrontation. Floyd lay in a Minneapolis street below Chauvin, shouting more than 20 times, “I can’t breathe.”
His death has sparked worldwide protests and calls for change in the country’s criminal justice system. Hundreds of protesters were arrested in the Twin Cities.
Some of the protests escalated into riots; in Minneapolis, businesses and buildings were looted and burned, including a police station building.
Transformation of the police: Minneapolis leaders promised major changes in policing after George Floyd’s death. It lasts longer than some hope to keep it.
Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. If convicted of the most serious charge, he could face up to 10 to 15 years in prison according to first-instance sentencing guidelines.
The court proceedings drew serious news coverage in Minnesota and nationally.
Most jurors have seen at least portions of a video of the tragic episode captured by a bystander and posted on Facebook. However, the jurors said that they could set aside their opinion and judge the case solely on the basis of the evidence presented in court.
The evidence is expected to include some details about Floyd’s drug-related arrest by Minneapolis police in 2019. Prosecutors plan to institute two incidents involving Chauvin to show that the former officer ‘Mr. Floyd intentionally assaulted in a way that’s not in line with training ‘.
The 11 days of jury selection were sometimes dramatic, as some potential judges became emotional. Some have told the judge that they are worried about their safety if elected. Others said they could not handle the tension and trauma of the jury.
The defense tried to delay or move the proceedings after the city of Minneapolis agreed to pay Floyd’s family $ 27 million to settle a case over his death.
Peter Cahill, a judge in Hennepin District Court, denied the motion. But he fired two judges who had already been selected and apologized to three prospective jurors when they said they were enchanted by the settlement.
Alternate jurors will act if one of the 12 judges required for the trial falls ill or has an emergency that requires them to leave during deliberations. However, the judges will not know until Cahill dismisses them, the court said last week.
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The jurors come from a wide variety of backgrounds. Some are well acquainted with the matter; others did not follow the months’ developments.
The panel includes a pharmacy, a nurse caring for patients in ventilators, a retiree and a social worker. Seven are in their twenties or thirties, three in their forties, four in their fifties and one in her 60s.
Given the circumstances of Floyd’s death – a black man dying under the auspices of a white police officer – the racial composition of the jury is an important issue. Nine of the jurors, according to the court, identify themselves as white, two as multiracial and four as black.
Here’s a look at who serves on the jury:
- A white man in his twenties who works as an accountant has a 6-month-old Bernese Mountain Dog and plans to move out of the state by the end of May.
- A white woman in her 20s who works as a social worker and was recently married.
- A white woman in her 50s who describes herself as an animal lover with a passion for affordable housing.
- A white woman in her 40s who works in insurance and said she loves the state of Minnesota very much.
- A black woman in her 60s who retired from marketing and said she would love to spend time with her grandchildren and volunteer at a youth organization.
- A white nurse in her 50s working with ventilated COVID-19 patients.
- A mixed woman in her forties working in the reorganization of a company.
- A black man in his 40s who works in management and has lived in Hennepin County for two decades.
- A white woman in her 50s who works in health care and likes to ride her motorcycle.
- A black man in his thirties who works in banking and coaches youth sports.
- A white woman in her 50s who works for a non-profit organization and is the single mother of two teenage boys.
- A black man in his thirties who works in technology and emigrated from Africa to the USA
- A white business auditor in his thirties.
- A mixed-race woman in her twenties who said she registered to vote in hopes of getting a jury summons for the Chauvin case.
- A white chemist in his twenties doing environmental testing and playing Ultimate Frisbee.
The 15-member panel is racially diverse than Hennepin County, where the jurors live, and Minneapolis, where Floyd died.
According to the information released by the court, the group of jurors and deputies are 60% white and 40% colored.
According to the 2019 U.S. Census Bureau, Hennepin County is approximately 74% white and 14% black. Minneapolis is about 64% white and 19% black.
The racial composition of the jury will change on Monday. Cahill said he would fire one of the chosen persons if the 12 jurors and two deputies showed up as planned. The courtroom does not have enough space for 15 jurors, he said.
How will lawyers find an impartial jury? 12 jurors must set aside what they saw in the George Floyd video
Dozens of potential jurors were selected by attorneys and defense attorneys, including whether they could set aside their views on the case, their thoughts on social movements and their views on the protests defined last summer. The investigation included, in at least one case, an overview of the social media activity of a potential juror.
All of the judges, including those selected, were asked about the video showing Chauvin pressing his knee on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes. Some said the footage struck them; others saw only short cuts. Only a few said they had not seen any video of the fatal encounter.
“It was emotional. I decided I did not want to watch it, “said one juror. Another said it was ‘too disturbing’ to watch the full video.
More: Derek Chauvin’s lawyer says the murder trial ‘is not about race’. His own questioning indicates otherwise.
Everyone was asked about the Black Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter movements. They offered different opinions, from strong support to the claim that both have become marketing schemes for politicians and businesses.
One said that Black Lives Matter did not always “take the best action, but I believe that black lives matter.” Another said he thought Blue Lives Matter was only a thing to counter the Black Lives Matter movement.
Many potential jurors expressed unfavorable attitudes toward Chauvin, and many said their opinion stemmed from the video of Floyd’s arrest. The chosen judges said they would accept Chauvin innocently and decide solely on the evidence presented during the trial.
Some of the interviews with judges gave tips that could shape their judgment. One remarked that he wanted to hear Chauvin to give his side of what had happened. Another said she wanted to better understand police training and whether to place a knee on someone’s neck.
Historic settlement was a focal point in the selection of the jury
As attorneys attempted to select potential jurors in the trial of Derek Chauvin, who had the news coverage of George Floyd’s death, the city of Minneapolis approved a settlement with Floyd’s family.
The news of the settlement was chosen at a luncheon on the fourth day of the jury. Ben Crump, the attorney general for Floyd’s family, calls it the largest settlement before trial in an unlawful death case.
The following week, seven jurors selected prior to the announcement were recalled and questioned as to whether it threatened their impartiality. Two were fired after saying it did happen.
Three other potential jurors were fired because they said they could not be impartial due to the settlement. Others said they had heard of the settlement, but it would not affect them.
More: Minneapolis reaches $ 27 million settlement with George Floyd’s family in wrongful death
More: Historic civilian settlement for George Floyd’s family brings uncertainty over Derek Chauvin’s criminal trial
The announcement “was an incredibly bad timing and very detrimental to the defense and perhaps the state,” said Mary Moriarty, former Hennepin County defense attorney.
National guard, police plan has greater presence next week
While people were protesting almost every day over Derek Chauvin’s trial, officials said Monday afternoon that there were no arrests related to the trial or reports of damage to property.
Police said they would increase their presence next week as the opening declarations begin.
“This is not going to be a dramatic increase,” John Harrington, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, told a news conference. “At the moment, there is no information or intelligence that can justify a huge increase in our attitude.”
He added that there were no credible threats to the trial or the Twin Cities area.
In preparation for the trial, the Hennepin County Government Center was surrounded by fences and concrete barriers. Businesses in the area were tackled. Members of the Minnesota National Guard were stationed outside the courthouse.
“We remain ready to respond, and we are committed to preventing bad things from happening,” Harrington said.