George Floyd: Will Chauvin’s Mumbo-Jumbo Defense Lead to Hung Jury?

By COLIN C.C. BENJAMIN

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Killer-Cop Derek Chauvin above like white Safari hunter hovering over his African kill.

Killer-Cop Derek Chauvin above like white Safari hunter hovering over his African kill.

The second week of the Derek Chauvin murder trial ended Friday after several days of testimony, mostly from medical professionals regarding the killing of George Floyd.

After two weeks of testimony, the consensus from legal experts seems to be that prosecutors are winning the case.

This week, all of the medical authorities’ statements told us what was obvious: George Floyd died because he was deprived of oxygen, by the actions of the killer-cops who callously extinguished his life—particularly Derek Chauvin. Last week, we saw tearful testimonies from those who pleaded with Chauvin that he was killing Floyd.

We even saw something unprecedented: multiple police officials, including Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo, who all agreed Chauvin actions were excessive.

However, we should all retain a healthy amount of skepticism as to whether Chauvin will be convicted in this trial given the history of racism in America’s legal system—especially, as it relates to police who murder Black people.

Prosecutors have put on a strong case. But the evidence in this case against Chauvin was rock solid to begin with.

For the last two weeks, legal experts have been analyzing the testimony particularly of the police officials and the medical practitioners. This week pulmonologist Dr. Martin Tobin’s testimony was riveting. Defense attorney Eric Nelson wasn’t able to counteract Dr. Tobin’s finding that Floyd died due to lack of oxygen, because Chauvin’s knee was on Floyd’s neck for nearly ten minutes.

But let’s remember this: the most powerful evidence is the video that captured George Floyd’s murder in all its gory detail. More importantly, because of social media, the whole world has seen that video evidence of murder.

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Because of this, so-called American justice is also on trial. Therefore, anything less than some sort of conviction will only further serve to emphasize the racist unjust nature of how America treats the sons and daughters of those who were brought here in chains to erect American civilization.

In that respect, our leaders had better be concerned about the outcome of this trial.

Things may look bad to many now for Chauvin but this trial is far from over. Chauvin’s lawyers have yet to put on their defense case—but lawyer Eric Nelson has shown us what to expect.

Nelson has already engaged in a defense strategy that is based on the character assassination of George Floyd, and the community. Every chance he gets he keeps signaling to the jury that Floyd died because of drug use even despite the fact that all of the medical professionals have rejected this.

Nelson is also using what we can call the mumbo jumbo defense. Several times already he has advanced absurd and illogical arguments. Several times, particularly this week, his mind-numbing meandering questions has confused the expert witnesses as to what he’s really asking.

One may want to assume that Nelson is just not very capable in tackling the task at hand. But it seems more likely that Nelson is willfully being confusing. But why?

Nelson, like the rest of the world, knows his client is a murderer. Again, the video is the strongest piece of evidence. So, Nelson is doing everything to make the video seem irrelevant, or to make us think our eyes and common sense are faulty when it tells us his client is guilty of torturing George Floyd to death.

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Conducting the kind of confusing cross-examination Nelson is employing would seem to be a turnoff for the jury—if getting an outright acquittal is the objective here. It is more likely Nelson is really pushing for a hung jury—by finding one solitary white (perhaps racist) juror who will latch on to some nonsensical thing to go against the will of the jury’s majority.

This seems to be Nelson’s strategy. To be fair, what else does he really have but to obfuscate and confuse? Again, the video evidence is the most compelling evidence which shows the grotesque murder committed by Derek Chauvin.

Recently, a cousin on mine articulated a stunning analogy of the image his mind conjured when he saw then officer  Derek Chauvin, one hand in pocket, with his knee in Floyd’s neck as he was dying. “It was like watching one of those white Safari hunters posing over his kill in Africa,” he said.

In a myriad of ways, the video of Chauvin murdering George Floyd has shaken people all over the world in countless ways.

And that is why, as defense attorney Eric Nelson puts on Chauvin’s defense, he will do everything to avoid the main piece of evidence in this case: the video showing Derek Chauvin murdering George Floyd by kneeling in his neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds.