Lead Investigator in Derek Chauvin Murder Case Reverses Claim Hours After Testifying
Lead Investigator in Derek Chauvin Murder Case Reverses Claim Hours After Testifying
The lead investigator in Derek Chauvin's ongoing murder case has reversed a shocking claim he made just hours after testifying.
Here are the full details...
Now, the world changed forever on May 25th, 2020.
George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, was ruthlessly killed by police officers after being arrested in Minnesota.
Floyd tragically died after a police officer pinned him on the ground and knelt on his neck for almost 9 minutes.
The independent autopsy confirmed that he had passed away as a result of "asphyxiation from sustained pressure."
This pressure had cut off blood flow to his brain, the autopsy concluded.
In the days following the incident there was an overwhelming demand for the 4 police officers involved to face criminal charges for their actions.
Their names were Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, J.A. Kueng, and Tou Thao.
Well, the day after Floyd's death, it was announced that all 4 officers had been fired...
And after an overwhelming surge of anger and protest, the officers were arrested just days later.
Derek Chauvin, the man who had knelt on George's neck, was charged with murder in the third degree and manslaughter.
His bond was set at $50,000 before he faced an upgraded charge of second-degree murder, according to Minnesota Senator, Amy Klobuchar.
And now, less than a year after Floyd's death, Derek Chauvin's murder trial has finally begun...
And his charge for third-degree murder has been reinstated, which comes after a Court of Appeals ruling asked Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill to reconsider restoring the charge based on its precedent in a separate case.
Earlier last month, Cahill said he had to reinstate the charge because he was "bound" by the Court of Appeals ruling.
Chauvin had tried to appeal to block the charge from being reinstated, however the appeal was blocked by the Minnesota Supreme Court.
The additional charges now mean that prosecutors have another route to convict him.
Speaking to Buzzfeed, Ted Sampsell-Jones, a Mitchell Hamline School of Law professor said, "For example, if the jurors were divided about second-degree murder, they could settle on third-degree murder as a compromise."
Well, Chauvin's trial officially started last week on March 29th in Minneapolis.
According to the Daily Mail, the prosecution started by playing the horrifying video of the moment the former cop dug his knee into Floyd's neck as he cried out, "I can't breathe."
Trial attorney Jerry Blackwell told the jury in his opening statement, where he argued that Chauvin "betrayed the badge" when he crushed the life out of Floyd:
The prosecutor in the Derek Chauvin case just told the jury: as several bystanders watched police officers ending George Floyd's life, the bystanders CALLED THE POLICE ON THE POLICE. Those bystanders knew they were watching a murder in progress. They were right. #JusticeMatters
— Glenn Kirschner (@glennkirschner2) March 29, 2021
"You can believe your eyes. That it's homicide, it's murder."
If convicted of the most serious count, Chauvin could face up to forty years in prison...
8 minutes and 46 seconds is way too long to have your knee on a human being's neck. 1 minute is too long.
— ReallyAmerican.com 🇺🇸 (@ReallyAmerican1) March 29, 2021
It should be illegal.
Derek Chauvin should be convicted of murder.
But if he's found guilty of manslaughter, he faces a maximum penalty of ten years; though he could be free within 5.
The teenager who filmed the harrowing footage of Floyd's death testified in court the following day...
And her recount of the events that took place that day were truly disturbing.
Eighteen-year-old Darnella Frazier began her testimony by describing what it was like to witness "a white man pinning a Black man to the ground"...
And her emotions were clearly running high, according to the Star Tribune.
"When I look at George Floyd I look at my dad, I look at my brothers, I look at my cousins, my uncles because they are all Black. I have a Black father, I have a Black brother, I have Black friends. I look at that and how it could have been one of them," she said.
She added that there have been nights since then when "I've stayed up apologizing and apologizing to George Floyd for not doing more and not physically interacting and not saving his life."
"It's not what I should have done, it's what [Chauvin] should have done."
Many of the jurors had visibly sympathetic expressions when Frazier spoke about apologizing to Floyd...
And Frazier wept at times, allowing her tears to flow without wiping away.
She also testified that she viewed Chauvin that day as having a "cold look, heartless. It didn't seem like he cared."
As the trial continued, more witnesses came forward to testify against Chauvin.
Last week, Charles McMillian, a witness who also watched Chauvin handcuff and detain Floyd at the scene, broke down on the stand while recalling the events of that dreaded day.
Prosecutors played back bodycam footage in which Floyd could be heard screaming out for his mother which immediately made McMillian start crying.
He was so upset that the court had to call for a recess so he could calm down.
But the part of the trial that everyone's talking about?
Well, it's one of the eye-opening claims lead investigator, Senior Special Agent James Reyerson, made and then reversed hours after testifying.
Defense attorney, Eric Nelson, played a clip to the court that heard Floyd allegedly saying, "I ate too many drugs."
After the segment was played in court, when asked again if he had heard it, Reyerson replied:
"Yes I did."
But then, Reyerson had a sudden change of heart.
When recalled by the prosecution, he said that he now believed Floyd to be saying:
"I ain't doing no drugs."
The trial continues.
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