Returning three guilty verdicts on second-degree murder, third-degree murder and third-degree manslaughter, 45-year-old former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted for the May 25, 2020 murder of 46-year-old George Floyd. From the March 29 opening arguments to the today’s verdict, the case was open-and-shut because of cell phone video showing that Chauvin subdued the much larger Floyd by compressing his neck with his knee for nine-and-a-half minutes, before Floyd was carted off by paramedics dead-on-arrival. Floyd’s death hit the breaking point, sparking riots around the country that lasted through much of the 2020 presidential campaign. When you look at the Covid-19 crisis and Floyd’s death, it did in 74-year-old former President Donald, with 78-year-old President Joe Biden beating Trump by some 5 million votes. Floyd’s murder played an important part in Trump’s defeat.
Sparking riots, looting, arson and anarchy around the country, Floyd’s death permeated every aspect of American life, certainly becoming part of the national dialogue on race, a subject Biden welcomed in the 2020 campaign. Floyd’s death reminded voters that race was on the ballot in 2020, a perfect campaign issue for Biden. Trump was painted as a heartless racist throughout the campaign, not to mention bungling of the Covid-19 global pandemic, both issues did him in Nov. 3. But for Africans Americans, today’s verdict was celebrated as a victory of sorts because finally a white cop got what he deserved after a brutal killing seen by millions while Chauvin sat with his knee on Floyd’s neck for an interminable nine-and-a-half minutes. Today’s verdict was a huge relief that hopefully averts another round of street violence and looting in America cities, big and small
After Judge Peter Cahill read the verdicts, he revoked bail, asking the bailiff to lead handcuffed Chauvin off to jail to await his sentencing in eight weeks. Cahill will have some discretion with state sentencing guidelines recommending 12.5 years for unintentional second-degree murder. But state prosecutors could ask for up to 40 years for special circumstances or aggravating factors. When the jury deliberated for only 10 hours requiring no clarification from the judge, Chauvin headed for conviction on all counts. Chauin’s defense attorney Eric Nelson made a huge mistake March 31 in opening statements laying out the most improbable scenario of Floyd dying from a combined drug overdose and underlying heart condition. Jurors didn’t buy Nelson’s arguments. Had Nelson not gone for a hung jury, thinking he could bamboozle one juror, Chauvin might have won some sympathy.
Nelson should have thrown Chauvin at the mercy of the court with a complete confession about his accidental killing of Mr. Floyd while he subdued him with his knee-on-his-neck. Floyd’s death became symbolic for a long history of while police brutality against theBlack community. Chauvin’s knee-in-the-neck became a modern-day lynching, raising the long history of police abuse with the African American community. Nelson’s tactic to try to blame Floyd’s death on a drug overdoes and underlying heart condition insulted jurors, resulting in today’s unanimous verdicts. Had Nelson gotten Chauvin on the stand to admit he made a terrible mistake, was swept up in the moment and confessed to abysmal judgment, he might have had more sympathy from jurors and the public. Watching the viral video of Chauvin snuffing out Floyd’s life sickened all who watched.
Three weeks of prosecution testimony was unnecessary establishing the Chauvin’s knee-in-the-neck was murder by anyone’s standards. No one in the 12 member jury thought that anything Chauvin did with Floyd was appropriate. When Nelson tried to sell jurors on extraneous issues like Floyd’s blood pressure, underlying heart issues or substance abuse it backfired. Judging by the verdicts, the jury delivered a harsh rebuke to Nelson that, until till the end, tried to sell jurors on the fact that Floyd died from natural causes, not Chauvin. Nelson’s medical experts completely lost the jury talking about asphyxia v. heart failure, trying to make the case the Floyd died from a drug overdose and underlying heart condition. Nelson’s farfetched theory insulted jurors’ intelligence, leading to the three convictions, now poised to send Chauvin away well into his old age.
Floyd’s death was an entirely avoidable circumstance due to incompetent policing by one white police officer. While elected or former elected officials opine, like former President Barack Obama, about the systemic racism in policing, the real issue involves giving law enforcement personnel better training in the future. Floyd’s death prompted calls to de-fund the police from Black Lives Matters and other civil rights groups, despite the need for more, not less law enforcement around the country. While there’s little sympathy for Chauvin, he lost his career and will spend a good chunk of his life in prison because of workplace stress or bad policing. Chauvin’s convictions were never really in doubt, despite lingering doubts in the Black community that the U.S. criminal justice would fail them again. For better or worse, the U.S. criminal justice system works, even when it’s tested to the max.
