Derek Chauvin trial

This widely seen image taken from a bystander video on May 25 is detrimental to the defense case to the point of assuring a conviction. It shows Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin with his knee placed on the neck of the previously struggling George Floyd even after Floyd was no longer resisting.

By Carolyn Yeager

BEFORE SEEING THE CLOSING ARGUMENTS, but after watching the entirety of the 13 days of courtroom testimony televised to the public, I am willing to offer my prediction of what this jury will do. I sat on one jury in my life, in a civil case. I know that the expectation to overcome differences and reach a final verdict is strong, and most jurors take that responsibility seriously. I've thought all along, and continue to think that the damning blow against Derek Chauvin is the video that shows all 9min25sec that George Floyd is pinned to the ground, even after he had ceased all resistance and apparently stopped breathing (shown in image above).

May 25, 2020, Cup Foods surveillance image: George Floyd stands at far right; five employees unoccupied behind the counter at left, with Christopher Martin closest to the front entrance in light gray-blue hoodie and black head scarf. Morries Hall, who entered the store with Floyd, is farthest front wearing red hat and white shirt.

By Carolyn Yeager

The second week of the Derek Chauvin trial has now wrapped up.

Monday through Thursday was devoted to testimony from the Minneapolis police chief, plus a selection of department investigators and training personnel discussing the MPD's “use of force” policies and what are approved tactics; then on to medical technicians and trainers, forensic doctors and scientists, and an emergency medical doctor. All agreed that George Floyd had been kept in a prone position (laying on stomach) while handcuffed and held down for too long, and this either contributed to or caused his death.

By Carolyn Yeager

ON DAY FOUR, I thought I saw the defense strategy revealing itself, and on day five it was very clear to me. It's exactly as attorney Eric Nelson told the jury in his opening statement—that the law will instruct them to find the defendant “not guilty” if they have “reasonable doubt” that his actions were a culpable contributing factor in George Floyd's death.

That is, each juror must be convinced “beyond a reasonable doubt” that the treatment of Floyd by Chauvin was a substantial cause of unnecessary death, over and above other medical causes that will be testified to by medical 'experts' later in the trial. “Reasonable doubt” is the key concept here, and what might save Derek Chauvin … if anything can.

The small crowd that gathered and watched as the Minneapolis police officers held George Floyd pinned on the ground while awaiting the arrival of medics. Six of those shown above testified on Day 1 and 2.

By Carolyn Yeager

TEARY-EYED AND OUTRAGED witnesses to the 9 minutes of recorded “death throes” of George Floyd have made up the opening testimonies in the Derek Chauvin murder trial. What I've seen in these first two days is all about emotional reactions, and Fox News commentators get focused on the emotion just as much as the other mainstream networks.

Chauvin is being portrayed from the start as a heartless, even sadistic individual. It's no exaggeration to say the suggestion that Floyd was 'murdered' by Chauvin is something the prosecutors definitely want to leave in the jurors' minds.

Composite image of George Floyd murder trial as jury selection is underway. Far right is former police officer Derek Chauvin in courtroom where he silently takes notes; lower left shows fortifications protecting the Minneapolis courthouse from vandalism. 

By Carolyn Yeager

I WROTE ON THIS SITE on last Dec. 31 that the year 2021 would be a time of “great awakening.” I felt a strong impulse to predict that even though I had no way of being sure of it. I can now say I am sure based on the first three months of this year 2021. What extraordinary events already! And much more to come—a year jam-packed with unfolding news at a speed that will challenge the best of us to keep up.