A jury has reached an agreement on a verdict in the case of former police officer Derek Chauvin, who is accused of the death of African American George Floyd in May 2020. On Tuesday, April 20, Reuters reported in its Twitter…
The announcement of the verdict is scheduled, as noted by NBC News, at 15.30-16.00 local time (23.30-00.00 Moscow time).
The jury, consisting of seven women and five men, began deliberation on Monday after hearing testimony for three weeks. The jury discussed the case for several hours, but decided to continue the meeting on Tuesday.
Floyd’s murder is accused of former police officer Derek Chauvin, who used a choke hold during the arrest of an African American in May 2020. The incident caused a wide public outcry, in the United States in the summer there were protests against police violence and discrimination against black people.
The ex-policeman’s trial began in March.
Chauvin is charged with second and third degree murder and second degree manslaughter. Second-degree murder is punishable by a maximum sentence of 40 years. Murder in the third degree is punishable by a maximum sentence of 25 years. Second-degree unintentional homicide is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Earlier in April, the chief medical examiner for Hennepin County, Minnesota, Andrew Baker, said that Floyd died as a result of police force during the arrest, but that he had heart disease and his use of drugs.
In turn, Chauvin’s lawyer claims that Floyd’s death could have been heart disease or the use of fentanyl and methamphetamine.