What we know about the jurors selected so far in Derek Chauvin’s trial
The jurors selected so far in Derek Chauvin’s trial in the death of George Floyd are unnamed and unseen on camera, but we do know basic details about them.
As of Wednesday morning, three men and one woman have been chosen to serve as jurors during the trial in Minneapolis.
The jury selection process, which began Tuesday at the Hennepin County Government Center, will continue until the court decides on 14 people — split into 12 jurors and two alternates, Hennepin County Court Director of Communications Spenser Bickett told CNN.
Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, died on May 25, 2020, after Chauvin, a White former Minneapolis Police officer, placed his knee on Floyd’s neck for an extended period while Floyd pleaded, “I can’t breathe.” His final moments were captured on video, and his death led to widespread protests against police brutality and racism under the banner Black Lives Matter as well as incidents of unrest and looting.
Chauvin has pleaded not guilty to second-degree unintentional murder and second-degree manslaughter charges. In addition, a charge of third-degree murder that was dismissed in October is now in limbo after an appeals court ruled the trial judge should reconsider a motion to reinstate it.
Opening statements are expected to start no earlier than March 29, followed by testimony that could take about four weeks.
Who was selected
The jurors all come from Hennepin County, which is demographically about 74% White and 14% Black, according to Census data.
The prospective jurors have all previously completed a 16-page questionnaire that asked for their personal thoughts on Black Lives Matter, policing and other topics. In court, each person is sworn in and then questioned one by one in a process known as voir dire. The juror’s name, address and other information is kept anonymous.
Eric Nelson is questioning the prospective jurors for the defense, while Steve Schleicher is questioning them for the prosecution. Judge Peter Cahill is presiding over the trial.
Three jurors were selected on the first day of jury selection on Tuesday, and one juror was selected on Wednesday.
The first juror selected was a White man in his 20s or 30s who works as a chemist and said he has an analytical mind.
The second juror was a woman of color who appears to be biracial in her 20s or 30s, according to a pool reporter’s observations in court. She said she was “super excited” about getting the jury questionnaire form.
The third juror selected was a White man in his 30s who works as an auditor.
The fourth juror was a White man in his late 30s or 40s who said he had a “very favorable” view of Black Lives Matter. He also said he believed police are more truthful than other witnesses. The juror is planning to get married on May 1 and told the court that if he was selected for the trial it could delay the wedding.
“Go ahead and throw me under the bus with your fiancée,” the judge joked. The juror replied, “Okay, I will do that.“
Who was excused
If the defense or prosecution believes a person cannot be impartial in the case, they can ask the court to dismiss the person for cause. Each side has unlimited challenges for cause.
Prosecutors and defense attorneys can also move to dismiss prospective jurors without cause using what’s called a peremptory challenge. Chauvin’s team is allowed 15 of these challenges and the prosecution has nine. These peremptory challenges can themselves be challenged, though, if they are based on race, ethnicity or sex — known as a Batson challenge.
Six people were excused from serving on the jury on the first day of jury selection.
The defense used peremptory strikes on a Hispanic woman who said her English was not great and on a Hispanic man who had martial arts training. The state raised a Batson challenge and argued that the strikes were race-based, but the defense disagreed, and the judge sided with the defense’s race-neutral reasoning.
The prosecution used a peremptory strike on a White man in his 50s or 60s who said people should not second guess police officers’ decisions.
Three prospective jurors were excused by the judge: one woman for saying she could not be impartial, a man who was worried the trial would affect his work as an accountant, and a 19-year-old man because he said he’d treat police officer witnesses differently than others.
