“MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A judge on Thursday rejected defense requests to move the trial of four former Minneapolis police officers charged in George Floyd’s death, and also ordered that all four will be tried together instead of separately. Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill ruled after defense attorneys had argued that pretrial publicity had made it impossible for the four men to get a fair trial in Minneapolis. They had also cited a Sept. 11 hearing in which the men and their attorneys were confronted by angry protesters outside the courthouse, saying it showed that holding the proceeding in the same area where Floyd died would be unsafe for participants. Defense lawyers had argued that witnesses could be intimidated, and jurors could be affected by chants from a crowd outside. But Cahill said he was unpersuaded at the moment that moving the trial would improve security, and that he believes the jury can be protected from outside influences. “No corner of the State of Minnesota has been shielded from pretrial publicity regarding the death of George Floyd. Because of that pervasive media coverage, a chance of venue is unlikely to cure the taint of potential prejudicial pretrial publicity," hy het geskryf. Cahill said he was willing to revisit the issue later if circumstances warrant. Moving the trial away from Minneapolis to less diverse areas of the state also likely would affect the makeup of the jury, though the judge didn’t address that issue. In a separate order, egter, he said the names of the jurors will be kept confidential. ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE – This combination of file photos, provided by the Hennepin County, Minn., Sheriff’s Office, shows, from left, Derek Chauvin, J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao. The judge also ruled in another order that the trial can be televised from the courtroom. Defense attorneys had also argued that the men should face separate trials, as each officer tried to diminish their own role in Floyd’s arrest by pointing fingers at the other. But Cahill rejected that too, saying the complications of separate trials were too great and that trying the officers together would “ensure that the jury understands … all of the evidence and the complete picture of Floyd’s death. “And it would allow this community, this State and the nation to absorb the verdicts for the four defendants at once,” he concluded. Floyd, a Black man in handcuffs, died May 25 after Derek Chauvin, who is white, pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck as he said he couldn’t breathe. Floyd’s death sparked protests in Minneapolis and beyond, and led to a nationwide reckoning on race. All four officers were fired. They are scheduled to stand trial in March. Chauvin is charged with unintentional second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. The three other former officers, Thomas Lane, J. Kueng and Tou Thao, are charged with aiding and abetting. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, whose office is prosecuting the case, said in a statement that the rulings “represent another significant step forward” in the pursuit of justice for Floyd and the community. “The murder of George Floyd occurred in Minneapolis and it is right that the defendants should be tried in Minneapolis,” Ellison said. “It is also true that they acted in concert with each other and the evidence against them is similar, so it is right to try them in one trial.”
John Lennon’s Death Remembered By Yoko Ono, Fellow Beatles And Fans
666 Uitsigte0 Opmerkings0 Hou van
["NEW YORK (AP) — Fans remembered John Lennon with flowers, candles and songs Tuesday, the 40th anniversary of the former Beatle's death after being shot outside his New York City apartment building. In Central Park's...
‘Judge Judy’ Is Guilty Of Angering Football Fans Across The Country
52 Uitsigte0 Opmerkings0 Hou van
["The verdict is in: NFL fans were peeved on Monday to see “Judge Judy” instead of the Washington-PIttsburgh game on Fox. It seems the NFL’s ever-changing schedule amid the coronavirus pandemic took a criminal turn fo...
Judge Orders Trump Administration To Restore DACA Immigrant Program
147 Uitsigte0 Opmerkings0 Hou van
["A federal judge ordered the Trump administration on Friday to restore the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which provides protection from deportation to many undocumented immigrants who were brought t...
Federal Judge Rejects Trump Rules Limiting Foreign Worker Visas
0 Uitsigte0 Opmerkings0 Hou van
["CHICAGO (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday struck down two Trump administration rules designed to drastically curtail the number of visas issued each year to skilled foreign workers. The changes applying to the H-1B ...
Venezuelan Judge Convicts 6 American Oil Executives On Corruption Charges
150 Uitsigte0 Opmerkings0 Hou van
["Ariana Cubillos/Associated Press Jesus Loreto, an attorney representing Tomeu Vadell, one of six U.S. oil executives jailed for three years in Venezuela, shows a letter written by Vadell in Caracas, Venezuela, on No...
Publix Worker’s Family Blames Anti-Mask Policy For COVID-19 Death
278 Uitsigte0 Opmerkings1 Hou van
["The family of a 70-year-old Florida Publix worker who died from the coronavirus in April is suing the supermarket chain, claiming its prohibition against workers wearing masks at the start of the pandemic directly c...