The State of Minnesota vs. Derek Michael Chauvin case, related to George Floyd’s death while in custody of Chauvin, started on Monday. It will go on for several weeks.
Ex-police officer Chauvin (he was fired) faces three very serious charges:
–Second Degree Murder, Unintentional (up to 40 years in prison if found guilty),
–Third Degree Murder (up to 25 years), and
-Second Degree Manslaughter (up to 10 years).
The city of Minneapolis has already settled a wrongful death civil suit with the family of George Floyd for US$27m, the largest such settlement in the state’s history.
Given that, is it still possible that Chauvin can be found ‘Not Guilty’ on all three counts? Well: even under very unfavorable circumstances, police officers have not been indicted, let alone convicted of murder, in the past (see the case of Breonna Taylor).
This could be the landmark case that changes that, though.