Only one member of George Floyd’s family at a time will be allowed to appear at the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer accused of Floyd’s death, a judge ruled on Tuesday.
Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill said that only one member of the Floyd family at a time can be present in court, but different family members can alternate in that position. The same decision applies to Chauvin’s family, Cahill wrote in his decision.
The trial order also required all parties to follow Covid-19 restrictions, including keeping one meter away from other people and wearing masks. Although it prohibits “any mask or article of clothing that contains any visible image, logo, letters or numbers.”
Attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci said in a joint statement on Tuesday that last year was “a deeply painful and exciting year for all members of the Floyd family, many of whom intended to be in court to witness this trial”.
“While they understand the judge’s reasons for limiting his presence in court, the family is understandably disappointed by the decision. The family looks forward to the start of the trial as a critical milestone on the road to justice and a step towards ending this dark chapter of their lives, ”they said in a statement.
Chauvin’s lawyer, Eric Nelson, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News on Tuesday.
The decision comes less than a week before Chauvin was tried on March 8. Chauvin faces charges of wrongful death and wrongful death. The three other officers accused of helping and encouraging Floyd’s death – Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao – will be tried together in August.
In February, prosecutors tried to add charges of third-degree murder against Chauvin after Cahill dropped the initial charge against him last year.
About a week later, it was revealed that Chauvin agreed to plead guilty to third degree murder days after Floyd’s death, but then Attorney General William Barr rejected the deal.
Lacey Severins, a spokeswoman for the Hennepin county attorney’s office, who was handling the case at the time, told NBC News at the time that “as is typical in many cases, initial negotiations may take place between all relevant parties involved”.
“Often, a defendant will explore his options with a negotiation. It is also common for this type of discussion to take place at the beginning of a case and afterwards there is no agreement on the development of negotiations. This case was no different. The negotiations were discussed, nothing developed “, said Severins.
Floyd, a black man, died in police custody on May 25. The video showed Chauvin, who is white, kneeling on Floyd’s neck for about nine minutes while he was handcuffed and saying repeatedly, “I can’t breathe.”
Floyd’s death sparked protests across the country against systemic racism and new calls to end police brutality and racial inequalities.
All four policemen accused of participating in Floyd’s death were dismissed from the Minneapolis Police Department in May.
