On Monday, attorneys will lay out their cases in the murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who is charged in the death of George Floyd last spring.
Floyd, a Black man, died in police custody on May 25, 2020, after Chauvin pinned his knee against Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes. Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Keep it here for all the latest updates on the trial.
“On May 25th of 2020, Mr. Derek Chauvin betrayed this badge when he used excessive and unreasonable force upon the body of Mr. George Floyd,” Special Prosecutor Jerry Blackwell said in an opening statement Monday.
George Floyd’s family and attorneys knelt for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, the amount of time Chauvin had Floyd pinned to the pavement under his knee, outside the courthouse prior to the trial.
“This case is so much bigger than what happened 10 months ago,” Reporter Linsey Davis said on ABC Monday. “For many Americans this nation is on trial. Our criminal justice system is on trial.”
This is a developing story
