George Floyd was “just a man, lying on the pavement, being pressed upon, desperately crying out. A grown man crying out for his mother. A human being,” prosecutor Steve Schleicher said in his closing argument.
Derek Chauvin, his COVID-19 mask removed in a rare courtroom moment, ended weeks of speculation by informing the judge he would not take the stand to testify.
Dr. David Fowler, the former chief medical examiner for the state of Maryland, said the fentanyl and methamphetamine in Floyd’s system, and possibly carbon monoxide poisoning were contributing factors in his death.
Barry Brodd, a former Santa Rosa, California police officer, stoutly defended Derek Chauvin’s actions, even as a prosecutor pounded away at him as he took the stand.
Seth Stoughton, a professor at the University of South Carolina School of Law, judged the ex-cop's actions against what a reasonable police officer in the same situation would have done, and repeatedly found that Chauvin did not meet the test.
Hennepin County medical examiner Dr. Andrew Baker testified during Derek Chauvin's trial that the way the officer restrained George Floyd "was more than Mr. Floyd could take."
Prosecution witness Dr. Martin Tobin, a lung and critical care specialist, testified that George Floyd died by being pinned to the pavement by Derek Chauvin's knee and not from drugs.
George Clooney purportedly told George Floyd's family attorney that Derek Chauvin should "let somebody come and put their knee on his neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds."
Jody Stiger, an LAPD sergeant serving as a prosecution witness, testified Wednesday that former cop Derek Chauvin was bearing down with most of his weight from the time officers put George Floyd on the ground until paramedics arrived.
