Day 1 of Derek Chauvin's trial, police officer accused of killing George Floyd

Protesters gathered outside the courthouse showing the interest that people had in the trial which is being recorded. Ben Crump, a lawyer for Floyd’s family, told supporters on Monday that “the whole world is watching.”

Opening statements were made on Monday in one of the most closely-watched trials in decades in the US as the murder trial began for Derek Chauvin, one of the four police officers facing charges with respect to the death of George Floyd. Floyd died after Chauvin pressed his knee onto the 46-year-old Black man’s neck on May 25, 2020. His death led to massive protests across the world under the “Black Lives Matter” movement. The trial on Monday included the prosecution’s opening remarks centred on a bystander video of Floyd’s death. Protesters also gathered outside the courthouse showing the interest that people had in the trial which is being recorded. Ben Crump, a lawyer for Floyd’s family, told supporters on Monday that “the whole world is watching.”

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin sits in front of a picture of George Floyd displayed during Chauvin's trial for second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US. (Reuters)

Charges against Derek Chauvin

The charges against Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer, include manslaughter and unintentional second-degree murder. Similar charges will also be faced by the other three officers—Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J Alexander Kueng.

A demonstrator holds a sign "Justice for George" outside the Hennepin County Government Center during the opening statement of former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin. (AFP)

Second-degree murder means that the murder was not planned and happened due to the “offender’s reckless conduct”. It carries a maximum sentence of 40 years. Manslaughter refers to the unlawful killing of an individual without malice and can be both voluntary and involuntary in nature. It carries a maximum sentence of not more than 10 years or payment of a fine of not more than $20,000 or both.

The trial

The opening statements in the trial were based on the video of Floyd’s arrest. The video, which was taken by a bystander was about 9 minutes and 30 seconds long and was shown by the prosecuting attorney Jerry W Blackwell.

“You can believe your eyes, that it’s homicide — it’s murder,” Blackwell said. Chauvin’s lawyers on the other hand said that the jurors must consider “heaps of evidence” outside of the video itself. Eric Nelson, a lawyer for Chauvin, said that the case “is clearly more than about 9 minutes and 29 seconds.”