Jury begins first full day of deliberations in Chauvin trial

MINNEAPOLIS – The jurors who sat quietly off-camera through three weeks of testimony in Derek Chauvin’s murder trial in George Floyd’s death moved into the spotlight, still out of sight but now in control of verdicts.

The jury of six white people and six people who are Black or multiracial resumed deliberations Tuesday morning.  They began work Monday afternoon and deliberated about four hours.

During closing arguments Monday, prosecutors argued that Chauvin squeezed the life out of Floyd by pinning his knee against Floyd’s neck last May in Minneapolis, ignoring bystanders and common sense.

The defense argued that the now-fired officer acted reasonably and that the 46-year-old Floyd died of an underlying heart condition and illegal drug use.