Opening statements: Nothing other than exactly what you would expect. Prosecution hammering on the video taken showing Chauvin with a knee to the neck of George Floyd. They also appear to have settled in on strangulation as the cause of death rather than heart attack. This also suggests that they will be putting more credence on the cause of death opinions provided by the bought and paid for medical examiner (who argued strangulation), rather than the Hennepin County medical examiner (who suggested it a heart attack).
The defense provided a fairly quick opening statement, basically suggesting that there is a lot more to the case than the nine minutes or so on the video. It seemed largely a plea for the jurors to keep an open mind and promise to take everything into account. Keeping the emotional aspects of this case in check is likely their biggest challenge.
Witness One - Jena Lee Scurry: Scurry is a 911 dispatcher who took the call and also stated that she watched the video of the events and ended up calling a Sergeant/Supervisor in order to report that something seemed wrong. She claims that she was unsure of whether or not there had been any undue use of force, but had a gut feeling. The defense cross examination brought forward a couple of interesting things. Number one, Scurry testified that the car was rocking back and forth at times, suggesting a fairly significant struggle between Floyd and the two officers. Secondly, the Emergency Medical team dispatched originally went to the wrong address, which clarifies why it took so long for medics to get to the scene. Not sure she is a particularly good opening witness.
Witness Two - Alicia Oiler: The first comment made by one of the live bloggers I am reading suggested this witness looked "bored". She was a witness who took some video on her phone while working at a convenience station across the street from the scene. She is from Arizona and response with "a while ago" when asked how long she was in Minnesota. She seems to not "recall" much of anything. Court TV analysts suggests she was a poor witness for the State and the only reason to call her was to admit her cell phone video, which also was fairly poor all things considered. The cross examination was quick and she was done.
Witness Three - Donald Williams: This witness is interesting in that he appears to be a bystander who witnessed the events and also happens to be a former Wrestler and eventually an MMA fighter. He claimed to have over 40 fights, but a quick search on the internet shows he fought locally and had a 5-6 record as a semi-professional in mixed martial arts. What is interesting is that the State appears to be using Williams as their MMA choke hold expert. While obviously someone who was both a wrestler and an competitor in MMA deserves all my respect, he seems to have a relatively loose concept of what he is talking about. He suggests that Officer Chauvin is actually using trained choke techniques to "tighten" the choke. I suspect that Williams has never witnessed an MMA event where someone taps out from a knee to the neck choke. Unfortunately he also comes across as abrasive and anti-cop and even anti-American as he suggested that the officers at the scene were blaming the situation on Floyd being black and Floyd being on drugs. In his own words. The officers "did what America does" by putting the blame on Floyd. Could have probably done without that commentary. Knew he was black by just reading the transcript.
This was the end of the first day: Tomorrow will start with the defense cross examining Williams, which I suspect might get ugly. I seriously hope that this is not actually the best "choke hold" expert that the State will present. Because the defense will present experts who are more than just local fighters who happened to be at the scene.
10 comments:
The bottom line of day one.
Prosecutor Jerry Blackwell said "the state will prove that Chauvin's conduct was a 'substantial cause' of Floyd's death and inflicted 'without regard for Mr. Floyd's life,'" the Minneapolis Star Tribune notes.
Chauvin attorney Eric Nelson countered by arguing that Chauvin “did exactly what he was trained to do over the course of his 19-year career.”
The defense might have proved lack of intent.
But from what I've seen, the prosecution will provide evidence of excessive restraints over his career. So he didn't follow his training program.
Part of this from here
https://www.axios.com/911-dispatcher-chauvin-trial-george-floyd-61b94f92-6d64-4ab5-b28c-0f6bb7eb7b50.html
The defense might have proved lack of intent.
So alky has opined that the defense, without calling any witnesses yet, might have proved lack of intent.
I haven't watched but the cross examinations must have been brutal and gone straight to intent.
Or he is clueless.
Ignored because it was day one of the trial troll squad asshole
As the video played on television monitors set up around the socially distanced courtroom, several jurors visibly reacted, including one who drew a sharp breath as Floyd was heard saying, “I can’t breathe.” One put a hand to her temple, while another was seen looking away. One juror — a White woman in her 50s who works as a nurse — gripped the armrests of her chair.
“You can believe your eyes,” Blackwell told the jury during his roughly one-hour opening statement. “It’s a homicide. It’s murder.”
Behind him, Chauvin, 45, sat at the defense table, occasionally looking up at the video and taking notes on a yellow legal pad. He appeared to be avoiding eye contact with the jury.
Chauvin, a 19-year veteran of the Minneapolis Police Department before he was fired in May, has pleaded not guilty to second- and third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd’s death.
Chauvin’s attorney, Eric Nelson, pushed back against the prosecution, urging jurors to consider the “totality of the circumstances” and to put aside public opinion as they begin to consider the case against his client. “There is no political or social cause in this courtroom,” Nelson said during his roughly 20-minute opening statement. “The evidence is far greater than 9 minutes and 29 seconds.”
The autopsy expert will testify later on
I actually watched it troll squad asshole like kputz
Roger Amick said...
I actually watched it troll squad asshole like kputz
Oh superior intellect then inform us how
"The defense might have proved lack of intent."
no gibberish please
A chance to show off your skills and prove you were paying attention, unlike in your 3rd grade reading comprehension class.
Under Georgia law, electioneering at polling locations is prohibited. But in progressive enclaves, local Democrats in charge of polling locations have allowed Democrat activists to pass out food and water while urging votes for Democrats. The Democrats have claimed this is not electioneering, but taking care of those in long lines.
In 2018, leftwing activists in Planned Parenthood t-shirts passed out water and iTunes gift cards in the sixth congressional district. Last year, leftwing activists passed out water with leftwing group logos affixed to it. It was electioneering that local officials denied was electioneering.
That loophole has now been closed. I actually opposed closing the loophole thinking it was a bit overkill. But I am more opposed to the people lying about it. Here’s the truth about what is happening.
Water and food will be permitted within 150 feet of a polling location provided it is set up by poll workers and is unattended by non-voters.
Outside the 150 feet, you can have food trucks, bands, and whatever else you want so long as they stay 25 feet from the actual voter line. Voters will be allowed to leave the line and come back into the line without penalty so they can get food and drink.
That’s the actual truth. I realize people on the left say it is not true, but these people believe in their truth and my truth and not the actual truth. But this is all the actual truth.
Likewise, the legislation now adds mandatory early voting on two Saturdays, which adds a Saturday from what is now happening and also allows populous areas to pick a Sunday for early voting too. Yes, it reduces the number of overall days for early voting, but expands weekend voting.
The legislation requires that absentee ballot requests be submitted at least 11 days before an election. As a stand alone measure this idea passed with bipartisan support.
The legislation abandons signature verification checks and instead will use a voter’s drivers license of state issues photo ID number and birthday as the means of verification. If a voter does not have a photo ID, the state will give one to the voter for free. This measure is hugely popular. In a University of Georgia poll, a majority of voters regardless of race, political affiliation, gender, or ideology supported it.
The legislation also mandates more precincts and more voting machines for counties with long lines to cut down on the time it takes to vote.
The legislation actually legalizes ballot drop boxes. In 2020, Georgia used ballot drop boxes for the first time to collect absentee ballots. The legal basis was the Governor’s emergency order on COVID, which directed the state to comply with the Trump Administration Department of Homeland Security guidance. It was President Trump’s administration that authorized voter drop boxes
Donald Williams, a bystander who said he was trained in mixed martial arts, including chokeholds, testified that Chauvin appeared to increase the pressure on Floyd’s neck several times with a shimmying motion. He said he yelled to the officer that he was cutting off Floyd’s blood supply.
Williams recalled that Floyd’s voice grew thicker as his breathing became more labored, and he eventually stopped moving. He said he saw Floyd’s eyes roll back in his head, likening the sight to fish he had caught earlier that day.
Williams said he saw Floyd “slowly fade away ... like a fish in a bag.”
Roger Amick said...
I actually watched it troll squad asshole like kputz
so I asked him to defend his statement
Oh superior intellect then inform us how
"The defense might have proved lack of intent."
roger was unable
THWAP !!!
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