California Personal Injury Lawyers Blog
Jury Finds Former Officer Derek Chauvin Guilty of Murdering George Floyd.
At about 2:10pm today, April 20, 2021, the judge in the Derek Chauvin murder trial read the jury verdict – Former Officer Derek Chauvin guilty on all 3 counts of killing George Floyd.
Chauvin was found guilty of:
- Second-degree murder
- Third-degree murder
- Second-degree manslaughter
Upon request by the prosecutor, Chauvin then had his bail revoked, was ordered into custody and to report back in eight (8) weeks for sentencing. He was handcuffed and taken into custody. For many, a good day for justice.
Chauvin, age 45, is a former Minneapolis police officer, who stood trial for about three (3) weeks for killing George Floyd, as depicted in the famous video of 9 minutes, 29 seconds.
Unlike the racial divide in the OJ Simpson murder trial, the vast majority of people who viewed the video of the killing of Floyd believed the officer guilty of some crime. In this case, the jury found Chauvin guilty on all 3 counts.
Many are relieved by this verdict, fearful of more civil protests and perhaps violent looting and rioting, reminiscent of what occurred just a few months ago, should Chauvin be found not guilty. Hopefully, there will be no violence, including no celebratory violence as sometimes occurs in American cities post championships won by home teams, as has occurred when the Los Angeles Lakers were victorious.
In a criminal trial the burden is on the prosecutors representing the state of Minnesota to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, the toughest burden in any trial, and in this case the jury decided the state met its burden.
By comparison, in most civil cases, such as trials for injury and wrongful death cases, the burden is on the plaintiff (the injured party) to show it just is more likely the plaintiffs’ version is correct or accurate (or put another way, as some attorneys like to put it, viewing the scales of justice, the plaintiffs’ side is just a grain of salt more or heavier, tipping the plaintiffs’ side more than the other side).
Many hope capturing this horrific incident on video, showing it to the world, ultimately resulting in this guilty verdict on all three counts, will help to prevent future police harassment and brutality against not only Blacks but also every minority and every person.
We must remember that notwithstanding any non-cooperation by Floyd alleged by the defense before his final nine minutes and 29 seconds captured on video, once Floyd was handcuffed and not resisting he presented no threat to the officers or public. He certainly was not resisting arrest at that time when prone on the ground with up to three (3) officers on him. Deadly force was NOT justified. Certainly other methods besides kneeing his neck, cutting off his oxygen, for over nine minutes causing his death should have been employed. This was a wrongful death and rightfully, a wrongful death settlement was made with George Floyd’s family.
What possibly could Chauvin have been thinking? What were the other officers thinking?
And regarding other officers at the scene, there are three other officers charged in this murder incident. It remains to be seen what transpires next, including possible plea deals?
If you have any thoughts about this, we invite you to share them with us.
Be well and be safe.