Floyd murderers start finger pointing as trial approaches

Floyd murderers start finger pointing as trial approaches and insist that they should be tried individually despite their involvement as members of the same police team.

Whether you agree with the #BLM movement or not is entirely beside the point when we talk about the subject of police brutality. In almost every civilised society there is a matter of due process and the judiciary system is there to protect the lives of all people, regardless of their race, colour or creed.

When police officers, who are employed to protect and serve, kill a suspect without the right to fair trial and without him resisting arrest is something none of us would agree with.

Four former Minneapolis police officers have been charged with the murder of George Floyd and their attorneys have now been requesting individual trials as the four ex-police officers start to point fingers at each other and play down their own role in the incident.

However, due to the nature of the charges, prosecutors are adamant that they should be tried collectively. They have stated, “it is impossible to evaluate any individual Defendant’s conduct in a vacuum”.

Court appearances are due to commence this weekend to clarify a number of issues that need to be resolved before moving forward, which includes the prosecution’s request to hold a joint trial. The other issues that will be discussed are a request by defence lawyers to move the trial to another area and keep the jury anonymous.

The most prominent defendant is Derek Chauvin, who was the officer that knelt on George Floyd’s neck, whilst in handcuffs, until he was unable to breathe and subsequently dies as a result.

Chauvin has been charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter. The other three defendents, Thomas Lane, J. Kueng and Tou Thao are charged with aiding and abetting in both the charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter.

Prosecutors have stated quite clearly their belief that the defendants acted in close association.

In the legal paperwork, the prosecutors stated: “Here, all four Defendants worked together to murder Floyd: Chauvin, Kueng, and Lane pinned Floyd face-down, while Thao stopped the crowd from intervening, enabling the other Defendants to maintain their positions. Defendants also discussed and coordinated their actions throughout the incident,”

With witnesses of the murder and Floyd’s family most likely traumatised by multiple trials, prosecutors state that it would be in the best interests of all to see a single trial for all defendants carried out.

Chauvin’s attorney, Eric Nelson, has stated, “The other defendants are clearly saying that, if a crime was committed, they neither knew about it nor assisted in it.”

He added, “They blame Chauvin.”

“If EMS had arrived just three minutes sooner, Mr Floyd may have survived. If Kueng and Lane had chosen to de-escalate instead of struggle, Mr. Floyd may have survived. If Kueng and Lane had recognised the apparent signs of an opioid overdose and rendered aid, such as administering naloxone, Mr Floyd may have survived,”

Thank you for reading this article “Floyd murders start finger pointing as trial approaches”. For more International news, please visit the Euro Weekly News website.