Derek Chauvin trial live updates and the death of George Floyd

Elisha Fieldstadt

41m ago / 12:44 PM UTC

George Floyd’s brother says case against Derek Chauvin is ‘slam dunk’

Hours before the murder trial was set to begin for the former Minneapolis police officer who kneeled on George Floyd’s neck for about nine minutes, Floyd’s brother said the case is a “slam dunk,” and he and his family are hoping for a second-degree murder conviction.

“We’re feeling good,” Philonise Floyd said on NBC’s “Today” Monday morning. “We know that this case, to us, is a slam dunk because we know the video is the proof, that’s all you need. The guy was kneeling on my brother’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, a guy who was sworn in to protect. He killed my brother in broad daylight.”

“That was a modern day lynching,” Floyd added.

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Jaquetta White

2h ago / 11:30 AM UTC

Here’s what to know about the Derek Chauvin trial

The death of George Floyd in police custody last summer sparked months of protests demanding racial justice in dozens of cities around the world after bystander video of his last moments went viral.

Ten months after Floyd’s death, opening statements in the trial of Derek Chauvin, who was fired after the encounter, are set to begin Monday before 14 jurors, including two alternates.

The jury is made up of nine women and six men. Nine of the jurors identify as white, four as Black and two as of mixed race. They range in ages from the 20s to the 60s.

Here’s what else to know about the charges and the people who will present the prosecution and defense cases.

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Janelle Griffith

2h ago / 11:30 AM UTC

Attorneys in Chauvin trial home in on key juror question: Black or Blue Lives matter?

During the jury selection in Chauvin’s trial, it was apparent that while the facts of the case were black and white for the prosecution and defense, when it came to prospective jurors, it would have more to do with Black versus blue.

Attorneys homed in on two questions on the juror questionnaire: how favorably prospective jurors view the Black Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter movements. These and other questions have helped attorneys learn where people stand on such issues as defunding the Minneapolis Police Department, whether the criminal justice system is biased against minorities and whether media coverage of police brutality “is only the tip of the iceberg.”

Experts say that questions focusing on the two movements is shaping up to be a proxy for determining how valuable a prospective juror will be to either side in the case.

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Daniella Silva

2h ago / 11:12 AM UTC

What the prosecution and the defense are expected to argue at Derek Chauvin’s trial

The prosecution will argue Derek Chauvin’s restraint of George Floyd for nearly nine minutes was a “substantial” cause of his loss of consciousness and, ultimately, death in police custody.

In an amended complaint, prosecutors with the office of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison state that the medical examiner listed Floyd’s cause of death as cardiopulmonary arrest “complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint and neck compression” and that the manner of death was ruled a homicide.

The defense will try to sow doubt in the prosecution’s claims by offering up evidence that suggests Floyd could have died from his health maladies and use of drugs.

In a motion to dismiss the charges, the defense argued Chauvin did not assault Floyd and did not have intent to harm him.

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