Closing Arguments Set for Monday in Trial of Former Officer Chauvin
Prosecutors and the defense will deliver closing arguments in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on Monday, after Chauvin’s lawyer Eric Nelson rested his case on Thursday.
Chavin, facing second-degree murder and other charges in the 2020 death of George Floyd, declined to take the stand at the Hennepin County Courthouse. After prosecutors brought back Dr. Martin Tobin, a pulmonologist, for a fresh set of questioning, Judge Peter Cahill told the jurors they would be sequestered starting next week.
“If I were you, I would plan for long and hope for short,” he said. “Basically, it’s up to the jury how long you deliberate, how long you need to come to a unanimous decision on any count. And so because that’s entirely up to you—whether it’s an hour or a week—it’s entirely within your province.”