The trial of the ex-Minneapolis officer accused of killing George Floyd jurors was shown the graphic, broadly shared video of Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck. Chauvin kneeled on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes. Tragically, Floyd cried out for help and then become unresponsive.

At Trial, Prosecutor Jerry Blackwell Makes Compelling Plea to Jurors

Jerry Blackwell, one of the prosecutors in the case, after the video ended, gave the jurors a plaintive instruction. He said: “you can believe your eyes that it was a homicide,” Blackwell said. Then, he more strongly said: “It was murder.”

Opening Statements from Prosecutors and Chauvin’s Defense Team

On Monday, the highly expected trial began with opening statements from prosecutors and Chauvin’s defense team. A white man, Chauvin, is facing charges various and incriminating charges second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd, a Black man, last May 2020. In Floyd’s death, a bystander video caught Chauvin kneeling on his neck. This sparked outrage and anger with months-long racial justice protests last year. This incendiary event led to a national reckoning over racial equality and police brutality.

Cameras and Live Stream

The courtroom allowed cameras. Moreover, live-streamed were the proceedings and broadcast by many important media outlets. They helped facilitate the national interest in this controversial case. Various theories outside of the mainstream media came up about as a result including that George Floyd was a freemanson. That, in fact, the police officers were crisis actors. This alleged “killing” was a false flag event was planned to advance a particular agenda and conducted in a way that would hide the identity of those who are responsible.

The Trial to Focus on Evidence Sticking to the Facts Only

On Monday, the both prosecution and the defense tried their best to keep the jurors rational and with no bias soberly focused on the evidence at hand. The goal was that they not be swayed about the symbolic import of the case or the sensational outside publicity. Nor the heated debate going on over the social issues it brought forth, including race and policing.