What we know about the jurors selected so far in Derek Chauvin’s trial

He jury selection process, which began March 9 at the Hennepin County Government Center, will continue until the court decides on 14 people: 12 jurors and two alternates, Spenser Bickett, director of communications for the Hennepin County Court, told CNN.

Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died on May 25, 2020 after Chauvin, a former white Minneapolis police officer, put his knee on Floyd’s neck for an extended period while Floyd pleaded, “I can’t breathe. “. His last moments were captured on video, and his death sparked widespread protests against police brutality and racism under the Black Lives Matter banner, as well as incidents of riots and looting.

Chauvin has pleaded guilty to involuntary second-degree murder and second-degree homicide. He has also pleaded guilty to a third-degree murder restored in the case on March 11th.

Opening statements are expected to begin before March 29, followed by a testimony that could take about four weeks.

Who was selected

Eric Nelson questions possible jurors for the defense, while Steve Schleicher questions them for prosecution. Judge Peter Cahill presides over the trial.

Last week seven jurors were selected in the first four days of jury selection. Two juries have been selected on Monday.

The first jury selected was a white man in his twenties or thirties who works as a chemist and said he had an analytical mind.

The second jury was a woman of color who appears to be in her twenties or thirties, according to the observations of a pool reporter in court. She said she was “super excited” to get the jury questionnaire form.

The third jury selected was a white man in his 30s who works as an auditor.

The fourth juror was a white man in his 30s or 40s who said he had a “very favorable” view of Black Lives Matter. He also said he believed the police are more true than other witnesses. The jury is scheduled to marry on May 1 and told the court that if selected for trial, it could delay the wedding.

“Go ahead and throw me under the bus with your promise,” the judge joked. The jury replied, “Okay, I’ll do it.”

The fifth jury selected was a black man in his 30s or 40s who moved to the United States 14 years ago and works in information technology. He said he had a “somewhat negative” opinion of Chauvin, who disagreed with defusing the police and the police making him feel safe.

The sixth juror was a Hispanic man in his twenties or thirties, according to the pool journalist’s remarks. The man, who works as a truck driver, said Chauvin “gave me the impression of showing his authority” in the video of Floyd’s death, and also said none of this would have happened if Floyd would have complied with the police.

The seventh jury is a white woman in her fifties, according to the court. He said he has a “somewhat negative” impression of Chauvin and believes there are biases against African Americans, but not everyone in the system is bad. He said he felt empathy for Floyd and the agents because “at the end of the day I’m sure there was no intention for this to happen.”

The eighth jury chosen is a thirty-year-old black man, according to the court, who said he had very favorable opinions about Black Lives Matter. He also said he thought Chauvin had “no intention” of harming anyone, but said he could put that opinion aside in this case..

The ninth jury selected is a white woman in her fifties, according to the court. He had a “somewhat negative” impression of Chauvin and wrote that he “had the impression that he didn’t care” Floyd.

Who was excused

If the defense or prosecution believes a person cannot be impartial in the case, they can ask the court to dismiss them on cause. Each side has unlimited challenges for the cause.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys can also fire potential jurors without cause, using what is called a peremptory challenge. Chauvin’s team has allowed 15 of these challenges and the prosecution has nine. These peremptory challenges can be challenged themselves, whether based on race, ethnicity, or gender, known as the Batson challenge.

The defense used peremptory attacks Wednesday against a Hispanic woman who said her English was not fantastic and about a Hispanic man who had training in martial arts. The state posed a challenge to Batson and argued that the strikes were race-based, but the defense disagreed and the judge sided with the defense’s neutral reasoning.

The state on Friday used a peremptory strike against a 40-year-old man who looked white. He said he was an army veteran who served in Iraq. Viewers seen in the video of Floyd’s encounter with police, he said, would likely increase the stress level of the moment.