First Thing: US awaits verdict in Derek Chauvin’s trial over George Floyd’s death Molly Blackall Good morning. Jurors in the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin over the death of George Floyd will start their first full day of deliberations this morning, after closing arguments were made yesterday. Floyd died after Chauvin kept his knee on his neck for more than nine minutes. The prosecution argued that Chauvin’s force was unnecessary, defied his training, and caused Floyd’s death. They argued it was ludicrous to suggest that Floyd’s heart disease had killed him at the exact moment he was pinned down by Chauvin.