Coverage of the Derek Chauvin Trial in death of George Floyd

[parabelum]

2 guys kneeling on Steven for 9 plus minutes.

This guy had few more on top of him, and this “officer” didn’t just press his knee into Floyd’s neck. He on several occasions lifted his boot off the ground meaning his entire weight, or majority at least, was on Floyd’s neck. His body was almost fully erect, meaning he was disbursing even greater force/pressure.

You’ve got mma experience and I have Krav Maga. It is one thing to apply pressure to the neck. What he did was more. He sank great deal of his body (by lifting his boot) into this mans neck. That is fatal over this length of time.
His best option would be to plea for involuntary manslaughter.

Take a gallon jug and see the difference between holding pressure and what happens as you lift your pressing foot of the ground.

[parabelum]

If you guys think that having a knee pressed on your neck for over 9 minutes is irrelevant/kosher and most of all a humane way to treat a human being, regardless what he might have ingested, after he offered no resistance any more, went completely limp and yet remained in the knee to the neck position for several minutes thereafter, then I have nothing more to offer to your ad nauseum “he took three times the lethal limit of Fentanyl” echo chamber. If you have been around EMS, and looks like I’m not the only one here which perplexes me a bit, then you have in the course of your career seen many folks who have taken above and beyond ld dosages of various substances and have survived! But none of those I’ve encountered who survived had a gestapo press their knee into their neck for over 9 minutes.
As we see from the case witnesses, this scumbag is cooked, as he should be.
And if you think knee to the neck for that long, wedging it in deeper (you can see that officer doing that) ain’t a biggie, want to have it a try for just two minutes? This guy is a murderer who tainted good work that LEOs do.

I strongly suggest that you read the trail reviews from a non-biased source and not just the major media. Even better, read them from a biased source that is pro-Chauvin to compare to what the media is reporting. I have pointed out that I do not agree with everything Mr. Branca is saying but he is emphasizing the way the cross-examination is destroying the prosecution case and the media is not reporting it. Both the Chief of Police and the MPD use of force expert admitted under cross-examination that the leg was on the shoulder-blades and not on the neck. I had said that earlier. Look at the video again and watch Floyd move his head while being restrained. He clearly does this in the video while Chauvin is on him restraining him. This means that Chauvin was not pressing down on his neck of he would not be able to move his head.

The cross examination of one of the witnesses went so badly for the prosecution that Nelson (Chauvin's defense attorney) agreed to not ask the question he had asked that was objected to. Well, at least not during cross examination. He did announce he will call that witness back as a defense witness so he can ask it the way he wants it brought out.

I have not watched all of the testimony or read all of the transcripts yet. I simply do not have the time to do so. I am basing my opinions on the reviews I have read on Fox News, Mr. Branca's blog, and a few on CNN (as much as I hate them). Overall, it is not going very well for the prosecution at all, I think. I am predicting that everyone involved is expecting (hoping for) a hung jury. That might stall of the riots everyone is expecting. It might also give the prosecution to work a deal with one of the other officers to make it worse for Chauvin. I doubt that this will happen, but I think the prosecution is now stuck with this and is trying to pull a miracle out of their hat.

BTW, probably one of the worst things for the prosecution was when the drug dealer who was with Floyd in the car refused to testify and they refused to grant him immunity. I don't know if the jury is aware of this (I hope not for a fair trials sake and hope so for justice's sake), but it means that the prosecution must be looking at trying the dealer for the murder if something else goes wrong with the Chauvin case. One of the areas I disagree with Mr. Branca on is if this means that Chauvin should be set free. His logic is you cannot have two different suspects for the murder like that. I think you can because you could argue that both contributed to the death in different ways. I am not a lawyer, so I could be missing some legal fine point Mr. Branca is aware of.

We can disagree. I have 4 close friends and one family member in LE. They are disgusted by this so called officer.

[srothstein]

We can disagree. I have 4 close friends and one family member in LE. They are disgusted by this so called officer.

One of the great parts of this country and this forum is that we can always simply agree to disagree. And the fact that we may disagree on this one point means nothing on any other points. That, combined with reasonable discussion of the points is one of the things I love about this forum.

[anygunanywhere]

Regardless whether the officer is innocent or guilty, this case in no way excuses the terrorism, looting, rioting, physical assaults, and murders that has occurred in America. The race baiters in charge of most leftist cities where the terrorism, etc occurred are guilty of crimes of astronomical proportion. Whether or not justice is served in the Chauvin trial, what about justice for the rest of the innocent citizens that have suffered as a result of the criminal activity that leftists justify because of perceived wrongs by a few individuals?

[carlson1]

Regardless whether the officer is innocent or guilty, this case in no way excuses the terrorism, looting, rioting, physical assaults, and murders that has occurred in America. The race baiters in charge of most leftist cities where the terrorism, etc occurred are guilty of crimes of astronomical proportion. Whether or not justice is served in the Chauvin trial, what about justice for the rest of the innocent citizens that have suffered as a result of the criminal activity that leftists justify because of perceived wrongs by a few individuals?

110%

[oljames3]

Chauvin Trial Day 9 Wrap-Up: Prosecution Has A Not-Bad Day With Medical Experts
By Attorney Andrew Branca / April 8, 2021

https://lawofselfdefense.com/chauvin-tr ... l-experts/

[parabelum]

Regardless whether the officer is innocent or guilty, this case in no way excuses the terrorism, looting, rioting, physical assaults, and murders that has occurred in America. The race baiters in charge of most leftist cities where the terrorism, etc occurred are guilty of crimes of astronomical proportion. Whether or not justice is served in the Chauvin trial, what about justice for the rest of the innocent citizens that have suffered as a result of the criminal activity that leftists justify because of perceived wrongs by a few individuals?

110%

Spot on!

[crazy2medic]

https://www.westernjournal.com/disaster ... e-defense/
Interesting read!

[Paladin]

https://www.westernjournal.com/disaster ... e-defense/
Interesting read!

Worth quoting:

The largest blow from Mercil to the prosecution’s narrative came when Nelson showed him “a series of photographs captured from the body worn camera of Officer [Thomas] Lane.” In four separate photos, Mercil conceded that Chauvin’s knee was on Floyd’s shoulder blades rather than his neck.

“This, of course, fundamentally undercuts the prosecution’s narrative of guilt that it was Chauvin’s knee on Floyd’s neck that killed Floyd,” Branca said.

I've had similar training. Knee on the shoulder blades of someone resisting is pretty standard training.

[Ruark]

2 guys kneeling on Steven for 9 plus minutes.

Why on earth don't they show this at the trial?

[oljames3]

Chauvin Trial Day 10 Wrap-Up: Defense Raises More Reasonable Doubt with State Witnesses
By Attorney Andrew Branca / April 11, 2021

https://lawofselfdefense.com/chauvin-tr ... witnesses/

[oljames3]

LIVE: Chauvin Trial Day 11 – Has State Eliminated Reasonable Doubt As Case Nears End?
By Attorney Andrew Branca / April 12, 2021

https://lawofselfdefense.com/live-chauv ... nears-end/

[oljames3]

Chauvin Trial Day 11 Wrap-Up: BREAKING: Trial Expected to End Testimony This Week
By Attorney Andrew Branca / April 12, 2021

https://lawofselfdefense.com/chauvin-tr ... this-week/

[carlson1]

Testimony is ending or the State’s through calling witnesses? Is the defense not calling witnesses?

[RottenApple]

Testimony is ending or the State’s through calling witnesses? Is the defense not calling witnesses?

I believe the State is expected to rest sometime today. Then the defense will probably move for a directed verdict based on the prosecution not making their case beyond a reasonable doubt (and considering all the conflicting testimony by the state's own witnesses, they certainly have not done that). This will get denied because of political pressure, of course. And then the defense gets to put their witnesses on and that is expected to end Friday or possibly Thursday. The jury has already been told to bring an overnight bag on Monday because they'll immediately go into sequestration for deliberations.