The jury deciding the fate of former Minneapolis, Minnesota, police officer Derek Chauvin reached a verdict shortly after noon on Tuesday, according to an announcement from the Hennepin County court. The judge is expected to read the verdict around 4:30 pm.
The jury considered three separate charges, “second-degree murder—unintentional, while committing a felony; third-degree murder; and second-degree manslaughter,” according to The Wall Street Journal. The jury can convict Chauvin on any single charge or a combination of any of the three charges.
“The judge explained that third-degree murder requires proof Mr. Chauvin caused Mr. Floyd’s death by committing an eminently dangerous act that was highly likely to cause death and showed a reckless disregard for human life. To convict Mr. Chauvin of second-degree manslaughter, the jurors would need to conclude that culpable negligence and reckless actions by Mr. Chauvin caused Mr. Floyd’s death,” per the WSJ.
All of the charges, the WSJ noted, required prosecutors to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Chauvin caused the death of George Floyd, though none of the charges required that the jury find Chauvin intentionally killed Floyd when he knelt on Floyd’s neck for nine minutes during an arrest last May.
“During the three-week trial, prosecutors have sought to prove that Mr. Chauvin, who is white, acted recklessly when he knelt on Mr. Floyd’s neck for more than 9 minutes, killing him. The defense has countered that Mr. Chauvin was reasonably restraining Mr. Floyd when he died of a sudden heart attack fueled by clogged arteries and drugs,” the WSJ reported Tuesday afternoon.
Chauvin’s defense moved, late Monday, for a mistrial, citing comments made by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) and others — comments defense attorney Eric Nelson said unfairly pressured the jury to come to a guilty verdict.
“I just don’t know how this jury can really be … that they are free from the taint of this,” Nelson said in his final plea. “Now that we have U.S. representatives threatening acts in relation to this specific case. It’s mind-boggling.”
While Judge Peter Cahill suggested that Waters’ comments could provide a path to appeal if Chauvin is convicted, he denied the request for a mistrial.
Although the jury has been sequestered, the verdict will not be public until it is read between 4:00 and 4:30 pm EST. Legal experts typically suggest that a short jury deliberation time favors the prosecution, as it indicates that the jury did not struggle to reach a unanimous decision. The Chauvin jury, per reports, did not submit any questions to the court, nor did the jury request further review of evidence or testimony.