MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A judge on Wednesday dismissed two jurors who had been seated for the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer charged with the death of George Floyd over concerns that had been tainted by the city’s announcement ‘a $ 27 million deal with Floyd’s family.
Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill recalled seven jurors who sat before the deal was announced last week, at the request of former Derek Chauvin attorney Eric Nelson. Cahill questioned everyone about what they knew about the settlement and whether it would affect their ability to serve.
The dismissal of only two jurors suggested that the impact of the agreement on the jury set was less than feared, likely reducing the possibility of Cahill granting a defense request to delay the trial. The judge has set March 29 for opening statements if the jury selection ends by then.
Cahill was careful to ask jurors if they had heard of the deal without giving details, including whether they had been exposed to the “wide media coverage of the evolution of a civil lawsuit between the city of Minneapolis and the family of Minneapolis. George Floyd “.
The first retired juror, a thirty-year-old white man, said he heard about the deal and thought it would be “difficult to be impartial.”
“That price of the sticker obviously surprised me,” the second jury said. The 20-year-old Hispanic man said he thought he could put the news aside, but he wasn’t sure.
Cahill detained five other members of the jury, including a thirty-year-old black man who said he heard on Friday evening about the radio deal, but could decide the case by evidence presented in the courtroom.. “It hasn’t affected me at all because I don’t know the details,” he said.
Nelson set the timing of the announcement amid the jury selection “Deeply disturbing” and “not fair.”
On Wednesday, two additional jurors were chosen, adding the total to nine. There are five men and four women. Five are white, one is multiracial and three are black, and their ages range from 20 to 50 years. Fourteen jurors, including two alternates, are necessary.
The newest members of the jury are a 40-year-old black man who said he works in management and lives in the Twin Cities area for about two decades after immigrating to America and a white woman from about 40 years working as a consultant helping companies work transitions.
The man said he had a neutral view of Chauvin and could start with a presumption of innocence. He said he trusts the police, but that it would be fair for a jury to evaluate the agent’s actions.
The woman said she agreed that the police do not always treat whites and blacks equally, but have a fairly strong faith in the police in their community. He said it is important that people cooperate with the police.
“I’ve probably been taught or learned in the way that you respect the police and do what they ask,” he said.
Several were excused, including a man whose race was not disclosed who said he would tend to believe a police officer’s version of events about that of a citizen, and a black man who expressed negative opinions about the Minneapolis police department.
He said Floyd was an example of another black man “murdered” or “murdered” by police, and that he had seen Minneapolis police cross the area near Floyd’s arrest and antagonize residents after someone had been shot or imprisoned.
Another man who said he was white was fired after saying he had seen the video of Floyd and Chauvin’s interaction several times and that it would be difficult for him to brag about Chauvin’s innocence.
Chauvin is charged with murder and homicide in the May 25 death of Floyd, a black man who was pronounced dead after Chauvin, who is white, pressed his knee against his neck for about nine minutes.. Floyd’s death, captured in a video of the viewer, sparked weeks of sometimes violent protests across the country and led to a national accounting of racial justice.
The judge said Friday he will rule on Nelson’s request to delay or postpone the trial and another to admit evidence of Floyd’s arrest in 2019 in Minneapolis..
Three other former officers are facing an August trial for the death of Floyd accused of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and homicide.
The judge opened the court on Wednesday threatening to remove him a multimedia pool and close a multimedia center. A visibly angry Cahill described a report from the pool that included a journalist’s attempts to read notepads at the defense and prosecution tables and described security in the court where the trial is being held.
Cahill said any media outlet that published security details should overthrow him or risk expelling him from the media center. He did not appoint any journalist or media organization.
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Find full AP coverage of George Floyd’s death: https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-george-floyd
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This story has been corrected to show that the judge will decide on the admission of a pre-arrest to Floyd on Friday, not Thursday.