Derek Chauvin’s Trial: Week 3 (Final Week)

The third and final week of the Derek Chauvin trial commenced April 12th in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The prosecution focused on the role Chauvin played in George Floyd’s death. The defense presented witnesses who suggested Chauvin’s actions were reasonable and Floyd’s health problems contributed to his death.

Here are key takeaways from the final week of Derek Chauvin’s trial:

The final prosecution witnesses cemented the assertation that Derek Chauvin’s actions were the primary cause of George Floyd’s death. The witnesses included Floyd’s brother, a use of force expert and a medical doctor. Philonise Floyd, George’s brother, depicted his brother as a happy person whose life had been callously taken by Chauvin. Seth Stoughton, a former police officer and current law professor at the University of South Carolina who specializes in studying use of force issues, described Chauvin’s actions as “unreasonable.” Dr Jonathan Rich, a cardiologist, ruled out Floyd’s heart condition as a primary cause of death. Instead, Rich stated Floyd died due to a lack of oxygen due to the position he was placed in.

The defense case primarily consisted of individuals who tried to suggest Chauvin’s actions were reasonable and Floyd’s health problems caused his death. Scott Creighton, a retired Minneapolis officer, testimony was used to illustrate Floyd’s one arrest prior to his May 2020 death. Creighton detained Floyd in a traffic stop in 2019. He stated Floyd demonstrated signs of distress. Michelle Moseng, a former Hennepin County paramedic, said Floyd admitted to her his addiction to drugs during the 2019 arrest. Shawanda Hill, a woman in the car with George Floyd at the time of his arrest, testified that Floyd slept in the car before police officials awakened him on the day of his death. Barry Brodd, a retired police officer, testified that Chauvin's position atop Floyd was not deadly and he was merely following police training. David Fowler, former chief medical examiner in Maryland, attributed Floyd’s death to the toxic fumes he inhaled from the tailpipe of the police cruiser.

Derek Chauvin did not take the stand.

The closing arguments by the prosecution focused on how Chauvin’s behavior was responsible for the death of George Floyd. Steven Schleicher, the prosecution attorney, constantly emphasized throughout his arguments that: “It was Mr. Chauvin’s knee on Mr. Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes that killed him on May 25, not any heart condition or drug overdose.” Eric Nelson, Chauvin’s defense attorney, argued that jurors needed to look at the entirety of the interaction between Chauvin and Floyd, which was 17 minutes prior to the 9 plus minutes during which Floyd was killed. Nelson also argued Chauvin’s actions were reasonable. Both sides rested their respective cases after closing arguments.