Just hours before sentencing is scheduled to take place, a judge has rejected former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin’s request for a new trial in the death of George Floyd.
Judge Peter Cahill denied the request Friday morning, saying defense attorney Eric Nelson didn’t demonstrate that the court abused its discretion, according to WCTI News.
Cahill also rejected a defense request to impeach the jury’s verdict for alleged juror misconduct, citing insufficient evidence.
However, as previously reported by Human Events News, a photo surfaced online showing a juror on Chauvin’s trial sporting Black Lives Matter gear.
Brandon Mitchell, juror #52, is shown in a photo wearing a t-shirt with a picture of Martin Luther King Jr. and the phrases “get your knee off our neck” and “BLM.” He is also shown sporting a “Black Lives Matter Hat” while attending the 57th anniversary of King’s historic “I have a Dream” speech in August of 2020.
The issue at hand is this: during the jury selection process, each prospective juror was required to answer a questionnaire that included questions about participation in demonstrations and protests.
“Did you, or someone else close to you, participate in any of the demonstrations or marches against police brutality that took place in Minneapolis after George Floyd’s death?” one question read.
The other asked: “Other than what you have already described above, have you, or anyone else close to you, participated in protests about police use of force or police brutality?”
Mitchell said that he replied “no” to both questions.
Chauvin will be sentenced at 1:30 on Friday at the Hennepin County Government Center.
