Derek Chauvin Trial, April 13 Live Updates: The State Rests Its Case; Defense Begins To Call Witnesses – CBS Minnesota

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UPDATE (10:40 a.m.): Shawanda Hill, who was with George Floyd in a vehicle before he was arrested on May 25, testified in the Derek Chauvin trial.

She told the court that Floyd was friendly and talkative while inside Cup Foods but fell asleep when he got into the vehicle. Hill said she had to wake him up when the Cup Food workers approached the car about the fake $20 bill. She also had to wake him up when police arrived.

Prosecutor Matthew Frank asked if Floyd became startled when one of the arresting officers pulled a gun on him. “Very,” Hill said.

UPDATE (10:21 a.m.): Retired Hennepin County paramedic Michelle Moseng testifies in the Derek Chauvin trial. She examined George Floyd following his arrest on May 6, 2019, almost a year before his fatal encounter with Chauvin.

Moseng testified that Floyd told her that he took an opioid during the arrest. He also told her that he took several pills in the hours prior. Moseng told the court hat Floyd’s blood pressure was 216 over 160 and that she urged him to go to the hospital.

Under cross examination, prosecutor Erin Eldridge asked if Floyd’s breathing was normal, if he was alert and if he was able to walk. Moseng testified that Floyd was.

UPDATE (9:37 a.m.): The state has rested its case in the trial of Derek Chauvin.

Immediately after, the defense called its first witness, Scott R. Creighton, a retired Minneapolis police officer who arrested George Floyd on May 6, 2019.

Judge Peter Cahill instructed the jury not to take his testimony as character evidence against Floyd. Instead, the testimony was to show what happened to Floyd when he ingested opioids during another arrest.

Body-worn camera video of the 2019 arrest was played in court. The short clip showed Creighton approaching Floyd in the passenger seat of an SUV and demanding that he place his hands on the dashboard. “Keep your hands were I can f—— see them,” Creighton says. “Keep your hands on the dash.”

In cross examination, prosecutor Erin Eldridge asked if Creighton drew his gun when he approached Floyd. He said yes. Eldridge then asked if Floyd said, “Don’t shoot me, I don’t want to get shot.” Creighton confirmed that Floyd said “something like that.”

UPDATE (9:16 a.m.): Judge Peter Cahill decides to allow most of the body-worn camera video recorded by a Minneapolis Park Police officer in court. According to the defense, which is expected to begin calling witnesses Tuesday morning, the video shows park police arriving at 38th and Chicago and interacting with the passengers in George Floyd’s car.

In a motions hearing before the jury was seated, prosecutors argued that the video contains hearsay and shows George Floyd’s personal information when the officer looks him up on the squad computer. On the other hand, Eric Nelson, Chauvin’s attorney, argued that the video shows how the officer’s attention was split between the people in the car and the bystanders on the street. Throughout the trial, the defense has worked to show that the crowd who watched Floyd’s arrest — and yelled at Chauvin — were a distraction to officers.

The judge said he reviewed the video and declared it relevant. However, he said that the footage of Floyd’s personal information needs to be redacted.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — As the Derek Chauvin trial is expected to move into its next phase on Tuesday, with the defense beginning to call witnesses, one question hangs over the proceedings: Will the former Minneapolis police officer take the stand and explain to jurors why he knelt on George Floyd’s neck?

Defense attorney Joe Tamburino, who is not affiliated with the case, says that Chauvin, who could testify as soon as Tuesday, is the only person the defense can use to make key points in its case, which is centered around casting doubt on whether or not his actions on May 25 killed Floyd.

RELATED: Prosecution Finishes Questioning Their Last Witnesses In Derek Chauvin Trial

“That jury is going to want to hear [Chauvin] say that he didn’t want to hurt Mr. Floyd, that he was just using regular procedures and moves that he’s been trained to do,” Tamburino said. “You have to humanize the defendant if you’re going to try to win….That’s really the only way to do it.”

However, taking the stand is also a risk for Chauvin. “He just might not come across well,” Tamburino said, adding that Chauvin’s attorney, Eric Nelson, will have spent considerable time with his client, determining whether or not he should testify.

In court, Chauvin has shown little emotion or character. He sits upright, wears a black face mask and writes notes often on a legal pad. For most days, there is no relative in the seat reserved for his family.

Chauvin is charged second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter. Prosecutors say that the widely-seen bystander video of Floyd’s arrest outside a south Minneapolis convenience store tells jurors all they need to know: That Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds as Floyd lay prone, handcuffed and repeatedly saying he couldn’t breathe.

RELATED: Watch WCCO’s Gavel-To-Gavel Coverage

Testimony in court is expected to resume around 9:15 a.m. with the defense calling their first witness. WCCO-TV will be streaming the trial live on CBSN Minnesota. Jason DeRusha will lead the coverage, and Tamburino will provide legal analysis.

Judge Peter Cahill told the court on Monday that he expects the defense to wrap up their case by Thursday. If all goes to plan, this will give jurors a long weekend to prepare for being sequestered for closing statements and deliberations next week.

Also on Monday, Nelson, Chauvin’s attorney, asked the court to immediately sequester the jury in light of the unrest in the Twin Cities following the fatal police shooting of Daunte Wright. The 20-year-old Black man was fatally shot by a Brooklyn Center police officer during a traffic stop on Sunday. The city’s police chief said the officer, identified as Kim Potter, meant to use her Taser on Wright but accidentally shot him.

In court, Nelson argued that the subsequent protests and looting in Brooklyn Center and Minneapolis would affect jurors’ ability to come to a not guilty verdict as they could fear the consequences. Yet, the judge denied the request, saying that sequestering the jury this week would only heighten any sense of fear they might have.

RELATED: Philonise Floyd Sheds Tears For His Brother George While On The Stand In Chauvin Trial

The prosecution ended its case Monday with testimony from a nationally recognized use-of-force expert, a cardiologist and Floyd’s younger brother, Philonise Floyd. Wiping tears from his eyes, Philonise Floyd testified about who his brother was as family photos of George Floyd were shown in court, including one of him as a baby with his mother. Philonise Floyd said his brother was devastated by their mother’s death in 2018.

“George just sat there at the casket, and he was saying, ‘Mama, Mama,’ over and over again,” he said.

The cardiologist, Dr. Jonathon Rich, was the last in a string of experts called by the defense to testify that Floyd died of a lack of oxygen due to being restrained in the prone position. Rich said Floyd’s death was “absolutely preventable.”

Source Article from https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2021/04/13/derek-chauvin-trial-april-13-will-the-former-minneapolis-officer-testify/

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