Trial of the Century...

What verdict will the jury return:

  • Guilty: Second-degree murder

    Votes: 8 16.3%

  • Guilty: Third-degree murder

    Votes: 5 10.2%

  • Guilty: Second-degree manslaughter

    Votes: 25 51.0%

  • Not Guilty: All Charges

    Votes: 4 8.2%

  • Hung Jury

    Votes: 7 14.3%
  • Total voters
    49
  • Poll closed .
T

thisisinsane

Well-known member

I assume that most of us were around for OJ, the social and cultural ramifications of the Derek Chauvin trial are enormous.
I would like to use this thread for people following the trial. We’ve heard everyone’s opinions over the video, let’s attempt to keep this thread about the trial.
 
 
At it's core, the trial is fairly straight forward. You have the video and the two independent coroner's reports that say cause of death was affixation by homicide. The prosecution will also attack Chauvin's past racist statements and his 19 excessive force complaints. The defense will obviously attack the character of Floyd, claim the force was justified, and say he died of drugs. I will be interested to see if there is anything else of substance introduced or if it is as straight forward as it seems.
 
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The biggest item of interest to me here is the jury...for a case like this, I don't think there were many possible jurors that were truly "impartial" and odds are IMO a good chunk of the jury is made up of people who wanted to be involved in this case and have very strong opinions one way or the other.
 
ProV1 said:
At it's core, the trial is fairly straight forward. You have the video and the two independent coroner's reports that say cause of death was affixation by homicide. The prosecution will also attack Chauvin's past racist statements and his 19 excessive force complaints. The defense will obviously attack the character of Floyd, claim the force was justified, and say he died of drugs. I will be interested to see if there is anything else of substance introduced or if it is as straight forward as it seems.
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What was the official coroner's cause of death?
 
Watching the prosecution's opening statement. Blackwell doing a fantastic job, but he showed a video I had never seen before- with bystanders initially begging Chauvin to stop, then tried to shame him to stop. The length of time after Floyd had stopped moving, but the knee stayed on the neck, is so powerful.

I'm sure that prosecution witnesses will be persuasive and the defense attorney will do a fine job, but there is no explaining away that video. It says that Chauvin committed a crime. Exactly what that crime was is what this trial is about.
 
IVCguy said:
Watching the prosecution's opening statement. Blackwell doing a fantastic job, but he showed a video I had never seen before- with bystanders initially begging Chauvin to stop, then tried to shame him to stop. The length of time after Floyd had stopped moving, but the knee stayed on the neck, is so powerful.

I'm sure that prosecution witnesses will be persuasive and the defense attorney will do a fine job, but there is no explaining away that video. It says that Chauvin committed a crime. Exactly what that crime was is what this trial is about.
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The opening statement is not even over and it is unrecoverable for the defense. After watching that, it would seem to me that the only possible conclusions on the crime is 2nd or 3rd degree murder.
 
I’ve seen where people are pleading not to be on the jury since they don’t want BLM to harm them. Be interesting what the fascist of BLM burn down
 
nwwarrior09 said:
The biggest item of interest to me here is the jury...for a case like this, I don't think there were many possible jurors that were truly "impartial" and odds are IMO a good chunk of the jury is made up of people who wanted to be involved in this case and have very strong opinions one way or the other.
Click to expand...
If that is the true picture I can see a hung jury in the future.
 
ProV1 said:
The opening statement is not even over and it is unrecoverable for the defense. After watching that, it would seem to me that the only possible conclusions on the crime is 2nd or 3rd degree murder.
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They are throwing enough stuff on the wall hoping something sticks.
 
ProV1 said:
At it's core, the trial is fairly straight forward. You have the video and the two independent coroner's reports that say cause of death was affixation by homicide. The prosecution will also attack Chauvin's past racist statements and his 19 excessive force complaints. The defense will obviously attack the character of Floyd, claim the force was justified, and say he died of drugs. I will be interested to see if there is anything else of substance introduced or if it is as straight forward as it seems.
Click to expand...
i have heard that maybe the prosecutor OVER charged the cop... also wasn't the knee to the back in his training?
 
Opening Statements are complete. Now we'll see if either side delivers what they promised.



*I did have a WTF moment when the defense attorney said (Paraphrasing) "When the crowd was swearing at the officers it diverted their attention away from the care they were giving Mr Floyd".
 
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ProV1 said:
The opening statement is not even over and it is unrecoverable for the defense. After watching that, it would seem to me that the only possible conclusions on the crime is 2nd or 3rd degree murder.
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I thought it was interesting that the prosecutor said, "You can believe your eyes", while the defense posited that the jurors need to use reason and common sense, taking in all of the evidence - basically that they cant believe their eyes.

As someone said, we will have to see which side delivers what they promised.
 
Gardens35 said:
Opening Statements are complete. Now we'll see if either side delivers what they promised.



*I did have a WTF moment when the defense attorney said (Paraphrasing) "When the crowd was swearing at the officers it diverted their attention away from the care they were giving Mr Floyd).
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Definitely tough to watch the video again. Well done by prosecution to deliver that very early to control the emotions of the jury from the onset. The defense has been up against the wall since the beginning, definitely tough to open against that video. The defense will have to “win” on cross-examination of witnesses and on the backs of their expert witnesses being better (drugs, past crimes, etc).

That does bring another question, what is a “win” for the defense? In my opinion, manslaughter would be a “win” for the defense.
 
bigkat said:
i have heard that maybe the prosecutor OVER charged the cop... also wasn't the knee to the back in his training?
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Yes. The 2nd degree will be tough to get. 3rd maybe. At a minimum Chauvin is looking at excessive force manslaughter.

I say that because I think the defense will be able to prove reasonable force was used in, say, the first minute or two once Floyd was on the ground, but when you watch the video, at some point it became, not only unreasonable, but absurd - particularly once the man stopped moving, talking, breathing.
 
Interesting that a police officer watching Chauvin called the police on his activities. Bystanders also called the police on the police after witnessing what they saw as a murder.

Multiple bystanders begging him to take his knee off the neck. Begging them to take his pulse. "look at you..you're enjoying this aren't you" as Chauvin has a chit eating grin on his face.
 
Happier said:
Interesting that a police officer watching Chauvin called the police on his activities. Bystanders also called the police on the police after witnessing what they saw as a murder.

Multiple bystanders begging him to take his knee off the neck. Begging them to take his pulse. "look at you..you're enjoying this aren't you" as Chauvin has a chit eating grin on his face.
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You wouldn’t have made the jury.
 
The defense does have a murky cause of death to work with in the sense that there were multiple factors: heart disease, drug abuse, excessive adrenal output, resisting arrest, delirium/panic attack, and more.

The prosecutor addressed that by saying Floyd lived with all of the pre-existing factors until he was arrested on May 25, but I think there is plenty there to muck up the COD and create reasonable doubt on that issue. The defense saying that there was no bruising or petechiae in the neck tissue goes against mechanical asphyxiation as the COD.

But I just keep coming back to the 4+ minutes the knee was on the neck after the man was quiet and motionless. That's going to be a tough thing for the jury to not apply reason and common sense to.
 
thisisinsane said:
Definitely tough to watch the video again. Well done by prosecution to deliver that very early to control the emotions of the jury from the onset. The defense has been up against the wall since the beginning, definitely tough to open against that video. The defense will have to “win” on cross-examination of witnesses and on the backs of their expert witnesses being better (drugs, past crimes, etc).

That does bring another question, what is a “win” for the defense? In my opinion, manslaughter would be a “win” for the defense.
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never ever been in the court, i was a big fan of LA LAW.... but once the charges are filed, that is what they will be charged with, it can't be lowered once the court precedings have started?
 
thisisinsane said:
Definitely tough to watch the video again. Well done by prosecution to deliver that very early to control the emotions of the jury from the onset. The defense has been up against the wall since the beginning, definitely tough to open against that video. The defense will have to “win” on cross-examination of witnesses and on the backs of their expert witnesses being better (drugs, past crimes, etc).

That does bring another question, what is a “win” for the defense? In my opinion, manslaughter would be a “win” for the defense.
Click to expand...

Agree 100%. That video is a hard watch.

Might come down to a battle of experts. Can the defense experts reach and/or befuddle the jury enough to secure a lesser conviction, or even a not guilty? Again though......that video.

But 30 or so years ago we all watched the LAPD Officers exhaust themselves putting the boot and stick to Rodney King. They all walked, so who really knows?
 
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