He called the case "tragic," but said it was an example of "officers doing their job in a highly stressful situation."Īnother member of the prosecution team, Jerry Blackwell, then delivered a rebuttal to conclude the closing arguments. Nelson said Chauvin followed his training and didn't intentionally use unlawful force on Floyd. Nelson has argued a combination of Floyd's underlying heart disease, adrenaline and the fentanyl and methamphetamine he had ingested prior to the arrest amounted to a fatal combination. He said the state called a series of experts to testify positional asphyxia was the sole cause of Floyd's death, but to suggest Floyd's drug use and heart disease did not play a role "flies in the face of reason and common sense," Nelson said. Derek Chauvin, right, and his attorney Eric Nelson listen to closing arguments by the prosecution. In his closing argument, defense attorney Eric Nelson said the state has not proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt and have not been able to definitely show how Floyd died. It's exactly what you saw with your eyes. "This case is exactly what you thought when you first saw it - when you first saw the video," he said. The bystanders, he said, were strangers to Floyd, "randomly chosen by fate" to witness "a shocking abuse of authority - to witness a man die." The group was powerless to help as the police restraint continued, Schleicher said, but they were able to "gather those precious recordings" and testify about what they saw. Schleicher said Chauvin showed "indifference" to Floyd's pleas for help and continued restraining the man even after he was unresponsive, ignoring the bystanders who were urging him to ease up. "Unreasonable force, pinning him to the ground - that's what killed him. Prosecutor Steve Schleicher was first to deliver the statement Monday, urging jurors to focus on the video showing Chauvin pressing his knee into Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes. Cahill dismissed two alternate jurors from service, and the rest of the panel was then sequestered. He also instructed jurors not to consider any "consequences or penalties" that may arise from the verdict. Prosecutors present closing argument in Derek Chauvin trial 23:04Ĭahill warned jurors not to allow "bias, prejudice, passion, sympathy or public opinion" to influence their decision as they weigh Chauvin's fate.
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