The jury began deliberations Monday in the murder trial of Derek Chauvin, the fired Minneapolis police officer accused of killing George Floyd.
Jurors listened to more than four hours of closing arguments from the prosecution and the defense, as well as a rebuttal from the state, before leaving the courtroom to review the case.
Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and manslaughter. Floyd died after Chauvin knelt on his body for 9 minutes and 29 seconds.
The prosecution said Chauvin acted on purpose on May 25. Steve Schleicher, a state prosecutor, said Chauvin killed Floyd because he didn't like the bystanders who were calling out for him to get off Floyd and questioning his authority.
In his closing argument, Chauvin's attorney Eric Nelson asked jurors to consider the totality of the circumstances that Chauvin had to assess. Nelson said that dispatchers asked Chauvin to get to the scene quickly, that Floyd was large and likely intoxicated, and that the two officers already on scene when Chauvin arrived were rookies.
