Request to delay Derek Chauvin's trial dismissed by appeals court
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Court of Appeals on Friday dismissed prosecutors’ request to delay next month’s planned trial of a former Minneapolis police officer charged in the death of George Floyd over their safety concerns about trying the case during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The appeals court also dismissed the state’s request to hold a joint trial for Derek Chauvin and three other former officers who are scheduled for trial in the summer. Prosecutors did not show that holding Chauvin’s trial in March would have a “critical impact” on their chance for a successful prosecution, the appeals court wrote.
Floyd, a Black man, died May 25 after Chauvin, who is white, pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck while he was handcuffed and saying he couldn’t breathe. Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter. The other defendants, J. Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao, were charged with aiding and abetting counts.
Judge Peter Cahill ruled last month that Chauvin would stand trial on his own starting March 8 and that the other defendants would be tried together starting Aug. 23, citing a lack of courtroom space due to COVID-19 safety protocols.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/request-to-delay-derek-chauvin-s-trial-dismissed-by-appeals-court/ar-BB1dEGVm?li=BBnbcA1&ocid=DELLDHP
