Local defense attorney explains changes to Derek Chauvin’s trial

WEST FARGO, N.D. — A local defense attorney says the fact that former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin will be tried alone could benefit either him or his co-defendants, depending on the arguments brought forth in court.

Chauvin’s co-defendants are former officers J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao.

Leah Carlson of Ohnstad Twichell Law Office in West Fargo says being tried alone could benefit Chauvin because he won’t have the others pointing the finger at him as the main person responsible for George Floyd’s death.

On the other hand, it could also benefit the co-defendants, as they will know Chauvin’s lawyers’ arguments before their own trial and therefore have a better understanding of what to expect.

Carlson adds that if Chauvin is found not guilty, it would make it much more difficult to get the charges on the other defendants to stick.

“If he’s found not guilty, the state’s going to have an uphill battle to prove that the other three were aiding and abetting Mr. Chauvin, who’s been acquitted of the offense, assumedly,” she says.

Chauvin’s trial is set to begin March 8th.

The others will be tried this summer.