Judge Pauses Jury Selection in Chauvin Case

Prosecutors want to reinstate 3rd-degree murder charge against ex-cop
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Mar 8, 2021 12:27 PM CST
Judge Pauses Jury Selection in Chauvin Case
This photo provided by the Hennepin County, Minn., Sheriff's Office shows former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.   (Hennepin County Sheriff's Office via AP File)

The judge overseeing the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer accused in the death of George Floyd on Monday paused jury selection for at least a day while an appeal proceeds over the possible reinstatement of a third-degree murder charge. As hundreds of protesters gathered outside the courthouse to call for the conviction of Derek Chauvin, Judge Peter Cahill said he does not have jurisdiction to rule on whether the third-degree murder charge should be reinstated against the former officer while the issue is being appealed. But he said prosecutors' arguments that the whole case would be impacted was "tenuous," the AP reports. Cahill initially ruled that jury selection would begin as scheduled on Monday, but prosecutors filed a request with the Court of Appeals to put the trial on hold until the issue is resolved.

The judge then sent the potential jurors home for the day, while prosecutors tried to contact the appellate court. Cahill took a recess to give the Court of Appeals time to respond, but planned to bring attorneys back into the courtroom Monday afternoon to deal with other matters. Cahill said he would proceed with the trial unless the higher courts told him to stop. Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s death. Legal experts say reinstating the third-degree murder charge, which Chauvin's attorney opposes, would improve the odds of getting a conviction. Jury selection is expected to take at least three weeks, as prosecutors and defense attorneys try to weed out people who may be biased against them.

(More Derek Chauvin stories.)

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