Jurors will return to the courtroom Monday to hear closing arguments before heading into sequestered deliberations in the Derek Chauvin murder trial.
On Thursday, Chauvin claimed his Fifth Amendment right not to self-incriminate and did not give testify on his own behalf.
Judge Peter Cahill said closing arguments for Derek Chauvin’s murder trial are expected to happen on Monday, April 19. Dr. Jonathan Rich, a Chicago-based cardiologist, testified on Monday that George Floyd’s heart was deprived of oxygen because of how he was restrained by Derek Chauvin.
The judge denied a request on Monday to sequester the jury after unrest escalated in Minneapolis following the fatal police shooting of Daunte Wright. Hennepin County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Andrew Baker told the court on Friday that while Floyd’s health and drug use may have contributed to his death, it was police officers’ actions that were the direct cause.
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.
Derek Chauvin on Thursday waived his right to testify to the jury about his part in the deadly arrest last May of George Floyd as both sides rested their cases at his murder trial, the most high-profile police misconduct case in decades.
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin being tried in Flyod’s death refers to the constitutional right against self-incrimination, in his most extensive remarks since his trial began with jury selection on March 8.
“The evidence is now complete,” Judge Cahill told the jury. They’ll be back Monday for closing arguments and deliberations will then begin. Because they’ll be sequestered starting Monday, Cahill tells them to pack for long while, but it’s their choice if it’s an hour or a week.
