With that groundwork in place, the prosecution must now focus on proving that Chauvin’s actions that day should be considered murder and wrongful death. This will require analysis by medical experts which will explain the cause of Floyd’s death, as well as testimonies from police experts who will say that Chauvin used excessive and unnecessary force.
In opening remarks last week, prosecutor Jerry Blackwell said he expected the testimony of Arradondo, the Hennepin County coroner and several forensic pathologists.
“When Mr. Floyd was no longer offering any resistance to the officers, they could have lifted the restriction,” the sergeant said. David Pleoger said. “It would be reasonable to put a knee on someone’s neck until they can no longer resist, but that should stop when they are no longer combative.”
Chauvin, 45, pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder, third-degree murder and wrongful death.
Defense attorney Eric Nelson argued that Floyd died of a drug overdose and other pre-existing health problems, and that Chauvin’s actions were within his police training. Nelson did not say whether Chauvin would testify in his own defense.
The testimony at the trial began last Monday and is expected to last about a month.
The doctor says Floyd probably died of suffocation
The doctor who treated Floyd at Hennepin County Medical Center last May testified on Monday that he believed Floyd probably died of suffocation.
Dr. Bradford Langenfeld, an emergency physician, said he treated Floyd for about 30 minutes on May 25, 2020, while hospital staff tried unsuccessfully to restart his heart. Langenfeld made a checklist of the possible causes of Floyd’s cardiac arrest and said the “most likely possibility” was hypoxia, or lack of oxygen.
“Doctor, is there another name for death from oxygen deficiency?” asked prosecutor Jerry Blackwell.
“Asphyxiation is a commonly understood term,” replied Langenfeld.
On Monday morning, Judge Peter Cahill spoke to jurors out of reach of the cameras about an allegation of the judge’s misconduct. He determined that there was no misconduct and that the judges were reliable.
Guilt and horror in the first week of the trial
Pain, trauma and regret spilled out of the Minneapolis courthouse last week, when a series of spectators and rescuers were talking about watching Floyd’s last sighs.
Blackwell said Chauvin kneeled for 4 minutes and 45 seconds while Floyd screamed for help, 53 seconds when he was struggling with seizures and 3 minutes and 51 seconds because Floyd did not respond. He only loosened Floyd’s neck when a paramedic motioned for him to come down.
Viewers who watched the incident described feelings of horror and guilt in the testimony. The teenager who watched a well-known video from a viewer testified that she had lost sleep at night, wondering what she could have done differently.
“There are nights when I apologize to George Floyd for not doing more and not physically interacting and not saving his life. But it’s not what I should have done, it’s what he should have done,” said Darnella Frazier, referring to if Chauvin.
Frazier was walking with a 9-year-old girl to the Cup Foods convenience store at the time of his arrest.
“I was sad and a little angry,” testified the girl. “Because it looked like he was stopping breathing, and it was like he was hurt.”
An off-duty firefighter who came on the scene said she tried to offer help, but the police rejected her.
“I tried calm thinking, I tried to be assertive, I begged and I was desperate,” said Genevieve Hansen. “I was desperate to help.”
Christopher Martin, the 19-year-old cashier who suspected Floyd had handed him a counterfeit $ 20 bill before the police were called, echoed the regret of other witnesses.
“If I just hadn’t accepted the bill, it could have been avoided,” he said.
CNN’s Ray Sanchez and Omar Jimenez contributed to this report.