The decision comes one week after the city agreed to pay $ 27 million to Floyd’s estate – a statement from defense attorneys claims they are harming their client amid the jury’s choice.
The Minneapolis City Council unanimously voted last week to settle a case with Floyd’s family.
The public announcement of the settlement in the midst of the selection of juries angered Chauvin’s defense, arguing that it harmed jurors against their client. Attorney Eric Nelson asked Judge Peter Cahill to move the trial and adjourn it in light of the publicity.
“The fact that it came exactly in the middle of the jury’s selection – it’s disturbing to me, your honor, whose idea was to make this information public when it was made public,” Nelson said.
Cahill also decided on Friday to allow limited evidence of a meeting between Floyd and police on May 6, 2019.
Floyd’s arrest in 2019 was a little over a year before Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for almost eight minutes when Floyd told Chauvin and three other officers that he could not breathe.
“The point here is that we have medical evidence about what happens if Mr. Floyd faces virtually the same situation,” the judge said.
The defense request for a trial came when the second week of the jury selection ended in the trial of Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer accused of killing Floyd on May 25, 2020. Floyd’s last moments, recorded on video, led to widespread protests against police brutality and racism under the banner of the Black Lives Matter as well as incidents of unrest and looting.
The defense had earlier requested that the trial be moved from Minneapolis, but Cahill tentatively denied the request in November.
Chauvin pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. He also pleaded not guilty to third-degree murder, a charge that was reinstated in the case last week.
Twelve of the 14 judges have already been selected. Two of the judges will be substitutes.