Derek Chauvin found guilty of murder and manslaughter in death of George Floyd

By Eric Levenson and Aaron Cooper, CNN *

Photo credit: Los Angeles Times

Minneapolis (CNN)Former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin was convicted Tuesday on charges of murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd.

The jury of five men and seven women deliberated for four hours Monday afternoon and resumed deliberating Tuesday morning, according to the court. They were sequestered from the public during deliberations.

Chauvin, 45, had pleaded not guilty to second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

The deliberations began after three weeks of testimony in one of the most closely watched cases of the Black Lives Matter era. The prosecution’s case against Chauvin featured 38 witnesses as they sought to show the former Minneapolis Police officer committed murder when he kneeled on the neck and back of Floyd, handcuffed and prone on the street, for 9 minutes and 29 seconds on May 25, 2020.

Prosecutors have repeatedly told jurors to “believe your eyes” and rely on the infamous bystander video of Floyd’s death.

“This case is exactly what you thought when you saw it first, when you saw that video. It is exactly that. You can believe your eyes,” prosecuting attorney Steve Schleicher said in closing arguments. “This wasn’t policing. This was murder.”

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