The jury returned its verdict on Tuesday afternoon after just 10 and a half hours of deliberation
As the verdict was read out Chauvin looked on silently in the Hennepin County courtroom
Jurors spent three weeks listening to testimony about the day George Floyd died under the weight of Chauvin s knee during an arrest outside the Cup Foods convenience store in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020
The jury had not sent back any questions to the judge or asked to review any video or hundreds of exhibits entered in the course of the trial
Judge Peter Cahill thanked the jury for not only jury service but heavy duty jury service
BBC News
Published
media captionWatch: How the prosecution made its case against Derek Chauvin
The death of George Floyd, a 48-year-old black man, while he was being restrained by a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, during an arrest in Minneapolis in May 2020, shocked the world and sparked global protests about racism and police brutality.
Mr Chauvin s three-week trial, on charges of murder and manslaughter, has heard from 45 witnesses and seen hours of video footage filmed by bystanders.
As prosecutors and defence lawyers begin their closing arguments, we look back at five key highlights of the trial:
1. Impact of arrest on witnesses
Prosecutor Steve Schleicher delivered the state s closing statement in Derek Chauvin s trial on Monday
He asked the jury to consider one question: Would George Floyd have died were it not for Chauvin s restraint?
He discounted the myriad of factors the defense presented as contributing causes of Floyd s death, including his drug use and heart problems
Schleicher also refuted the defense suggestion that Floyd had superhuman strength during his arrest because he was suffering from excited delirium There is no such thing as super human, that exists in comic books, the prosecutor said
He also showed new photos of the injuries Floyd suffered when he was pinned down
George Floyd is dead is because Mr Chauvin’s heart was too small : Prosecution rebuttal blasts defense s closing statement that kneeling on his neck WAS the reasonable action for a cop as jury retires and Minneapolis braces for protests
Trial attorney Jerry Blackwell concluded the state s case against Derek Chauvin on Monday by telling the jury: The reason George Floyd is dead is because Mr Chauvin s heart was too small
The jury was dismissed for deliberation before Chauvin s attorney Eric Nelson called for a mistrial
Nelson took issue with Blackwell s characterization of the defense s case as nonsense and a story - as well as the possibility that media attention could bias the jury
Derek Chauvin s defense attorney Eric Nelson called for a mistrial after the jury retired on Monday
He cited Rep Maxine Waters comments on the case as he argued that there was no way the jury could be unbiased given constant media coverage Now that we have US representatives threatening acts of violence in relation to this trial it’s frankly mind-blowing, Nelson said
Judge Peter Cahill replied: I grant you Congresswoman Waters may have handed you grounds for appeal and the turning over of this trial
But Cahill refused to grant a mistrial and adjourned the court until the jury comes back with a verdict