Derek Chauvin’s murder trial jury, which has recently reached a verdict, is weighing three charges against former Minneapolis police officer for the death of George Floyd: second-degree manslaughter, third-degree murder and homicide in second degree.
Chauvin could be convicted on all three charges, some of the charges or none of the charges. Each relates to a different sense of Chauvin’s mindset at the time of his encounter with Floyd during a May 25, 2020 arrest.
“The state does not need to prove it intended to kill George Floyd,” prosecutor Steve Schleicher said during his closing Monday in explaining to jurors how they should view the charges.
So what do these charges mean and how do they relate to Chauvin’s case?
Minnesota state law states that a second-degree manslaughter includes incidents when a person “causes the death of a human being, without the intent to cause the death of any person, while committing or attempting to commit a felony … “and” causes the death of a human being without the intention of causing the death of any person, while intentionally inflicting or attempting to cause bodily harm to the victim … “
“If you do something that hurts someone and you know it,” Schleicher said yesterday in explaining how Chauvin’s actions relate to that status, “you do it on purpose.”
“It simply came to our notice then. He just didn’t do it better. “
Schleicher also argued that Chauvin’s restraint amounted to an “assault,” which is a crime and, as such, is governed by the first part of this law.
Under Minnesota law, third-degree murder includes: “Any person, without the intent to effect the death of one person, causes the death of another person by committing an act eminently dangerous to others and by evidencing a depraved mind, without taking into account human life … ”
Schleicher said in the closings that Chauvin’s actions demonstrated “conscious indifference” to Floyd’s life.
According to Minnesota law, second-degree homicide includes: “culpable negligence for which the person creates an unreasonable risk and consciously risks causing death or serious bodily harm to another …”
Schleicher argued that Chauvin’s actions constituted a “strong likelihood of injuring others” that culminated in Floyd’s death.
“You can look up and see exactly what was going on,” he told the jurors.