MINNEAPOLIS – The judge overseeing the trial of the police officer facing murder charges for the death of George Floyd in the US state of Minnesota dismissed two jurors yesterday.
Hennepin county judge Peter Cahill released the two jurors after they said they had heard about a US$27 million (RM111.3 million) “wrongful death” settlement reached last week between the Floyd family and the city of Minneapolis.
The settlement was announced Friday after seven jurors had already been seated for the trial of Derek Chauvin, a white police officer facing murder and manslaughter charges for the death of Floyd, a 46-year-old black man.
The two jurors said under questioning by the judge that they had heard about the settlement and it would affect their ability to be impartial in the case.
One juror, identified only as Juror No. 20, told the judge the “dollar amount was especially shocking”.
“It sent a message that the city of Minneapolis felt something was wrong and it wanted to make it right to the tune of that dollar amount,” the juror said.
“That sticker price shocked me and swayed me a little bit.”
Seven jurors have now been selected for the high-profile trial and seven more are needed before it can get underway.
Opening arguments are expected to begin March 29.
Chauvin, 44, was seen on video taken by bystanders kneeling on the neck of a handcuffed Floyd for nearly nine minutes.
He faces charges of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and manslaughter. Second-degree murder carries a maximum prison sentence of 40 years.
Three other police officers – Tou Thao, Thomas Lane, and J. Alexander Kueng – also face charges in connection with Floyd’s death, which sparked sweeping protests across the United States against racial injustice and police brutality.
They are to be tried separately later in the year.
The jurors selected so far for Chauvin’s trial are a multiracial woman, two black men, two white women and two white men.
Following the announcement of the settlement with the Floyd family, Chauvin’s defence lawyer has asked for the trial to be delayed and moved out of Minneapolis.
The judge is expected to rule on those demands on Friday. – AFP, March 18, 2021
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