The trial of white police officer Derek Chauvin, accused of the murder of African-American George Floyd, will begin as scheduled for March 8, but the other three co-accused will be tried in late August, a judge has ordered. in a ruling released Tuesday.
The prosecution and the defense had requested a postponement of the trial of the four, in particular due to the covid-19 pandemic.
Even in the Minneapolis largest courtroom, “it will be impossible to comply with the rules of physical distancing in the event of a joint trial,” Judge Peter Cahill acknowledged in his ruling.
However, Cahill ordered that the trial of 44-year-old Derek Chauvin, who stood for more than eight minutes with his knee against George Floyd’s neck on May 25, remain on schedule.
His former teammates Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao, accused of complicity, “will be tried together from August 23,” he added.
The four, who were asking to be tried separately, were released on bail.
However, the prosecution wanted a unified trial, so as not to increase the trauma of relatives and reduce costs for taxpayers.
In court documents, defendants allegedly used reasonable force in front of a man who resisted. But broken lines have appeared in their ties and some seem tempted to blame each other for the tragedy.
The image of the incident in which Floyd died went viral and led millions of citizens to take to the streets of the country to protest police violence, demand reforms in the institution and call for an end to racial inequalities. .