Defense Attorney Eric Nelson is seeking to delay his client's trial after the Minneapolis City Council reached a $27 million settlement with the family of George Floyd. Nelson's client, Derek Chauvin, currently faces second-degree murder, second-degree manslaughter and third-degree manslaughter charges for his involvement in the death of George Floyd.
“I am gravely concerned with the news that broke on Friday,” Nelson said.
The defense attorney argues that the settlement has "incredible potential to taint the jury pool.” Moving forward, Nelson believes that the court should unseat the seven jurors that have already been chosen and ask them if the settlement would impact their ability to serve during this trial. He is also advocating for both sides to have additional strikes to remove potentially biased jurors.
Prosecutor Steve Schleicher has advised against a delay or change of venue because of the announcement. He argues that the prosecution has no control over what the city or state may do during the trial.
“You would agree it’s unfortunate, right?” Judge Peter Cahill asked.
“It’s certainly not my preference, your honor,” Schleicher answered.
It appears that Cahill is against changing the venue of the trial or providing extra strikes. However, he will consider pulling the seven jurors in for additional questioning.
“I wish city officials would stop talking about this case so much, but at the same time I don’t find any evil intent that they were trying to tamper with this case,” Cahill said.
Both legal teams are currently working to find a pool of 12 jurors and two alternates. Opening arguments are expected to begin later this month.
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