MN - George Floyd, 46, died in police custody, Minneapolis, 25 May 2020 *officers charged* #3

[JerseyGirl]

Walz to activate Minnesota National Guard around Derek Chauvin’s trial

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Prosecutors preparing for the upcoming trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin say they may call his three co-defendants as government witnesses.

Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the May 25 killing of George Floyd.


In a court filing Monday, Assistant Minnesota Attorney General Matthew Frank named more than 360 people he is considering calling to the stand. On his list are former officers J. Alexander Kueng, Tou Thao, and Thomas Lane, who stand accused of aiding and abetting murder and manslaughter.

Chauvin’s trial is scheduled to begin with a motion hearing on March 8 in Minneapolis. A separate trial for the other three former officers is set to start Aug. 23.

The government’s witness list also includes Darnella Frazier, the young woman who recorded video of Floyd’s killing outside Cup Foods, and Philonise Floyd, George Floyd’s brother. Prosecutors also named Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo, Fire Chief Bryan Tyner, and Hennepin County Medical Examiner Dr. Andrew Baker as potential witnesses.
Three co-defendants on state witness list in trial of ex-officer charged with killing Floyd - Albert Lea Tribune

 

[sds71]

Attorney for accused ex-officer J. Alexander Kueng says they're irrelevant.
Defense attorney Thomas Plunkett filed a motion late Monday regarding the videos in J. Alexander Kueng's case. It was made public Tuesday, and does not apply to the March 8 trial of former officer Derek Chauvin, who knelt on Floyd's neck for more than 9 minutes.

Plunkett asked Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill to prohibit prosecutors from "playing videos known as 'the Facebook videos' " because they are "irrelevant."

[URL]https://mncourts.gov/mncourtsgov/media/High-Profile-Cases/27-CR-20-12953-JAK/Motion02082021.pdf

https://www.startribune.com/attorney-seeks-to-block-facebook-videos-of-george-floyd-s-arrest-from-trial/600021104/[/URL]

 

[Niner]

https://www.startribune.com/judge-approves-derek-chauvin-divorce-under-secret-terms/600018970/

Feb. 4, 2021
A Washington County judge approved the divorce of Derek and Kellie Chauvin this week under secret terms due to the heavy redaction of court documents.

Washington County District Judge Juanita Freeman issued her order Tuesday under seal; a redacted version was made public Thursday.

Freeman ordered redactions in the case because of harassment and financial fraud allegations Kellie and Derek Chauvin faced. Most divorces and their settlements are public record unless a judge approves the parties' request to seal the documents.

The proceeding came under scrutiny after Kellie Chauvin filed for divorce two days after Derek Chauvin was charged with killing George Floyd on May 25, sparking speculation that it was a move to protect assets from civil litigation.
[.....]
The judge's ruling this week was accompanied by a "stipulated findings of fact" document outlining the division of assets she approved. It was heavily redacted, making it impossible to determine the terms of the settlement.

However, the document shares the same date as a second proposed settlement filed by Kellie and Derek Chauvin in December that had been briefly made public. That proposal would have awarded Kellie Chauvin about two-thirds of their marital and nonmarital assets, including their homes in Oakdale and Florida. It would have awarded her all of their marital assets — money and assets each earned during their marriage that state law encourages be divided in a "fair and equitable" manner.


more in article.

 

[Jax49]

Report: Chauvin agreed to plead guilty to 3rd-degree murder, former AG Barr blocked it

A report published by The New York Times on Wednesday night states that Chauvin believed the case against him in George Floyd's death was so bad that he agreed to plead guilty to third-degree murder and was willing to go to prison for more than 10 years.

 

[JerseyGirl]

The Killing of George Floyd Tore Minneapolis Apart. Now Comes the Trial.

Now, in the lead-up to Mr. Chauvin’s trial, which is scheduled to begin with jury selection on March 8, there is great uncertainty about the case’s outcome and whether the proceedings could provoke more violence.

Some office workers in downtown Minneapolis have already been told not to come to work during the weekslong trial because of heavy security. The National Guard will be deployed, transforming the city center into a military zone, with Humvees and armed soldiers monitoring checkpoints. In his recent budget proposal, Gov. Tim Walz included a special $4.2 million item for security during the trial, as well as a $35 million fund to reimburse local law enforcement agencies that may be called upon to quell unrest.

 

[Niner]

https://www.startribune.com/judge-r...t-ex-officers-in-george-floyd-case/600021895/

oh shoot - can't access this article - anyone?

 

[sds71]

https://www.startribune.com/judge-r...t-ex-officers-in-george-floyd-case/600021895/

oh shoot - can't access this article - anyone?

Outline - Read & annotate without distractions
A judge has rejected prosecutors' request to file a third-degree murder charge against four former Minneapolis police officers charged in George Floyd's death.

Attorney General Keith Ellison's office last week filed the count based on a Minnesota Court of Appeals split ruling earlier in the week that upheld a third-degree murder conviction against former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor in the 2017 fatal shooting of Justine Ruszczyk Damond.

Prosecutors sought to reinstate it in the case against Derek Chauvin, who knelt on Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes, and for the first time add it to the cases against J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao.

Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill denied the requests Thursday.

Chauvin is scheduled to stand trial March 8 on charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter in Floyd's death last May. A count of third-degree murder had been charged against Chauvin but was dismissed by Cahill in October.

Chauvin's attorney, Eric Nelson, argued in a filing Monday that the charge should not be reinstated because the Court of Appeals' ruling hadn't yet become legal precedent due to a window of time that allows Noor's attorneys to challenge the decision.

It would become precedent March 3 if attorneys in the case don't petition the Minnesota Supreme Court to review the Court of Appeals ruling, Nelson wrote.

It would become precedent May 2 if the high court was petitioned.

Noor's attorney, Thomas Plunkett, has said he will petition the Supreme Court to review the Court of Appeals' decision. Plunkett also represents Kueng.

Kueng, Lane and Thao are scheduled to be tried together in one trial Aug. 23 on charges of aiding and abetting murder and manslaughter. Their attorneys did not respond to the prosecution's request.

Nelson also argued that the third-degree murder charge did not fit his client's case since Chauvin's actions were specifically directed at Floyd alone, while the charge criminalizes "reckless or wanton" behavior that endangers others. Noor fired his gun in a squad car across his partner's body at a dark silhouette outside the squad car and in the direction of residential homes, Nelson noted.

All four former officers, who were fired, are out on bond.

 

[Niner]

Dang - @sds71 - I put it in Outline - and it said "Not supported"

But Thanks for info!

 

[JerseyGirl]

Request to delay Derek Chauvin's trial dismissed by appeals court

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.

 

[Tippy Lynn]

Minnesota House pulls $35M security fund for officer trials

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A proposal by Gov. Tim Walz to create a $35 million fund to bolster security during the murder trial of a former Minneapolis officer charged with killing George Floyd has stalled out in the Democratic-controlled Minnesota House.

 

[Gibbo214]

LAPD officers 'shared image of George Floyd captioned "You take my breath away" for Valentine's Day' | Daily Mail Online
Disgraceful.

 

[sds71]

Attorneys for former Minneapolis police officer Tou Thao say the charges against him in connection to George Floyd's death should be dropped after a recent article in The New York Times reported details about a rejected plea agreement between prosecutors and Derek Chauvin.

Thao faces aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter charges in connection to the death of Floyd.

In a motion for dismissal, Thao's attorneys argue the report does not allow for a fair trial.


Attorneys for Thao seek dismissal of charges, say NY Times' report doesn't allow for fair trial

 

[sds71]

[URL]https://mncourts.gov/mncourtsgov/media/High-Profile-Cases/27-CR-20-12953-JAK/Motion02162021.pdf

https://www.startribune.com/attorney-for-j-alexander-kueng-in-george-floyd-case-files-for-dismissal-alleging-prosecutorial-misc/600024137/[/URL]

 

[JerseyGirl]

Minnesota House fails to pass SAFE Act for security during Chauvin trial

 

[JerseyGirl]

George Floyd Murder Trial Courtroom Set Up for COVID-19 Safety

 

[JerseyGirl]

State courts to resume in-person criminal jury trials | Brainerd Dispatch

In-person criminal jury trials for all case types will resume in state district courts effective March 15 under a new statewide order issued by Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie S. Gildea.

“We are gradually increasing in-person activities in court facilities in a safe and responsible manner that will allow the courts to fulfill our constitutional obligation, while we continue to do all that we can to protect public health and safety,” stated Gildea in a news release.

 

[Niner]

Prosecutors ask appeals court to allow 3rd-degree murder charge against former MPD officers in Floyd's death

Feb. 23, 2021

Prosecutors are asking the Minnesota Court of Appeals to allow them to add third-degree murder charges against the four former Minneapolis police officers charged in George Floyd's death.

The appeal brief, filed Monday, comes after Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill — who will preside over the trial of Derek Chauvin and a later one for Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J Alexander Kueng — denied prosecutors' motion to add third-degree murder charges against the defendants earlier this month.

 

[Niner]

Feds convene grand jury for civil investigation into former officer Derek Chauvin | Grand Forks Herald

Feb. 24th:

MINNEAPOLIS — Federal prosecutors in Minneapolis have convened a grand jury and called police witnesses to testify over the past week in connection to a civil rights investigation into Derek Chauvin, signaling a renewed push in the Justice Department's case as the former police officer prepares for trial in state court in the killing of George Floyd, according to sources familiar with the secret proceedings.

The federal investigation involves a 2017 arrest in which Chauvin allegedly jammed his knee into the back of a 14-year-old boy for several minutes while ignoring his pleas that he couldn't breathe — an episode state prosecutors said bore a striking resemblance to Chauvin's conduct in his fatal encounter with George Floyd.
[.....]
The Justice Department investigation runs parallel to the state case, meaning it could proceed regardless of the verdict on the upcoming state trials for Chauvin and the others.

 

[JerseyGirl]

St. Paul police outline plan for possible unrest during Chauvin trial

Nearly 1,000 law enforcement officers and first responders have gone through specialized training in preparation for possible unrest spilling over into St. Paul during the first trial in George Floyd's death.

St. Paul Police Deputy Chief Stacy Murphy shared with the City Council on Wednesday the department's "robust" plan to "protect people, protect property and protect free speech" during the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.

Jury selection begins March 8.