Court of Appeals won’t intervene in Derek Chauvin trial
MINNEAPOLIS The Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled Friday that it would not intervene in the case against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who is charged with killing George Floyd, and delay his trial from March until the summertime as prosecutors had requested.
Attorney General Keith Ellison’s Office filed an appeal in late January asking the Court of Appeals to review rulings issued by Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill that ordered Chauvin to be tried alone starting March 8 on charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter.
Prosecutors argued that the Covid-19 pandemic made it unsafe to hold Chauvin’s trial in March. They asked the Court of Appeals to hold a hearing so they could argue their case orally, or, to skip a hearing and immediately issue a “writ of prohibition” to stop the trial.
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The Minnesota Court of Appeals will not intervene in the murder case against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin and postpone his March trial in George Floyd s death to the summertime as prosecutors had requested.
The court issued a unanimous ruling Friday stating that prosecutors had not provided enough reasoning to merit its involvement, and dismissed appeals by prosecutors to delay Chauvin s March 8 trial and to hold one trial for Chauvin and three of his former colleagues who are also charged in the case. The state has not established a basis for our review of the district court s pretrial orders, wrote Court of Appeals Presiding Judge Tracy Smith. Because we conclude that these appeals must be dismissed, we express no opinion on the merits of the district court s rulings.
Fired Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin will not face a reinstated third-degree murder charge when he goes on trial next month for the second-degree murder of George Floyd, a judge ruled Thursday.
Prosecution in George Floyd case asks to reinstate third-degree murder charge against Chauvin
On June 3, Chauvin was charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for the May 25 arrest death of Floyd. Lane, Kueng and Thao were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.
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Katrina Pross / St. Paul Pioneer Press | 9:38 am, Feb. 5, 2021 ×
Former Minneapolis police officers (clockwise from top left) Derek Chauvin, Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng are seen in a combination of booking photographs from the Minnesota Department of Corrections and Hennepin County Jail in Minneapolis. (Minnesota Department of Corrections and Hennepin County Sheriff s Office / Handout via REUTERS / file photo)
Attorney for ex-officer Derek Chauvin asks Court of Appeals not to intervene in case Prosecutors have asked for delay until summer because of pandemic. February 2, 2021 12:09pm Text size Copy shortlink:
The attorney for former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who is charged in George Floyd s death, is asking the Minnesota Court of Appeals to dismiss a plea from prosecutors to move his trial from March to the summertime.
Attorney Eric Nelson argued in a motion filed over the weekend that prosecutors missed a deadline to ask the Court of Appeals to intervene in the case. He did not address prosecutors argument that moving the trial was an urgent matter of public health due to COVID-19.