An appeals court considering whether to reinstate a third-degree murder charge against the former Minneapolis police officer accused of killing George Floyd reacted with …
An appeals court considering whether to reinstate a third-degree murder charge against the former Minneapolis police officer accused of killing George Floyd reacted with skepticism Monday to his attorney’s arguments for keeping the charge out. Jury selection is scheduled to begin next Monday in Derek Chauvin‘s trial on charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter. The trial judge dismissed a third-degree murder count last October. But prosecutors asked the Minnesota Court of Appeals to reinstate the charge in light of its decision last month to uphold a third-degree murder conviction against former Minneapolis officer Mohamed Noor for the 2017 shooting death of Justine Ruszczyk Damond, an unarmed Australian woman who had called 911 to report a possible sexual assault. A three-judge panel that heard oral arguments Monday said it would issue an expedited decision as soon as possible given the looming trial date. Legal experts say reinstating the lesser count could increase the prosecution’s odds of getting a murder conviction in what will be one of Minnesota’s highest-profile trials ever. Floyd, who was Black, died May 25 after Chauvin, who was white, pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck while he was handcuffed and pleading that he couldn’t breathe. Civil unrest after Floyd’s death spiraled into violence locally.
