After a long three week court battle, a verdict has finally been reached in the Derek Chauvin trial.
The jury deliberated for less than 12 hours. Typically this would indicate that the defense would be favored.
However this case was different, it had massive national attention and the crime was recorded from multiple angles.
Not long after 5pm eastern standard time, the verdict was read. Chauvin was found guilty on all charges including unintentional second degree murder, third degree murder, and second degree manslaughter and convicted for the death of George Floyd.
Hundreds swarmed the courthouse in anticipation for the reading of this verdict. It’s unclear what type of reaction will be had following the conviction.
The decision will likely be appealed. The judge has also noted that due to remarks made by Maxine Waters, the whole trial may be overturned.
Maxine Waters travelled to Brooklyn Center and said in a news interview that if Chauvin is not convicted, protestors need to get more confrontational and show “them” that “we mean business”
What could be more confrontational than drive by shootings on the police and national guard? Assaults, fires, and destruction? Looting? The fact that an elected official said something like this, is “mind boggling” as Chauvin’s defense attorney put it.
The Chauvin attorney also noted that the jury was not sequestered, or isolated. They were in full view of the nation falling apart over the case that they had control over.
This runs deeper than Maxine Waters. She was simply the first representative to speak out in this way. Others, non government affiliated civilians have been making threats of violence since the trial began.
The jury, was tainted. As was the witness pool.
Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the house also spoke out in defense of Maxine Waters. Defending the encouragement of violence.