Was jury in Derek Chauvin trial sequestered? Defense attorney claims they were 'bombarded' with media reports
Hours after ex-Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all three counts for the murder of George Floyd, it's now up for debate whether the jury of 12 people was actually, legitimately sequestered. This comes after Chauvin's defense attorney Eric Nelson complained to presiding judge Peter Cahill on Monday, April 19, a day before the verdict was announced, that the jury was likely being 'bombarded' with messages and media reports about the case from the outside.
A sequestered jury means separating the jurors from other people since outside influence could potentially change the deliberating jury's opinions. In Chauvin's case, the jurors were asked last week to bring their packed bags to court as they won't be heading home until a verdict is reached. Cahill also pacified Nelson's qualms about outside influences saying, "Well, to be fair, the last few times I advised (the jury), I told them not to watch the news, pure and simple." But Nelson insists that jurors were asked to refrain from media pertaining to this case, not all media in general.
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Nelson also argued the impossibility of jurors not being affected by outside influences, claiming he had to get rid of an email account over “literally thousands and thousands and thousands” of messages from outsiders, deeming his smart device alerts unavoidable. The defense attorney also cited how messaging over the case was brought up in television shows recently, also offering to add documents solidifying his claims. Nelson then addressed Rep Maxine Waters' (D-CA) recent BLM protest speech in Minneapolis for encouraging violence should Chauvin not get convicted.
Judge Cahill reportedly dismissed all these claims, even after a witness called by the defense was reportedly harangued by activists over a testimony expected to be helpful to Chauvin. Also, use-of-force expert Barry Brodd’s former house was vandalized with pig blood smeared all over and a severed pig’s head on the porch.
During his closing arguments, Nelson also highlighted the prosecution's 'nine minute' narrative when it comes to Floyd's arrest. Chauvin was seen in a bystander's video kneeling on Floyd's neck for 9 minutes 12 seconds, but Nelson argues the prosecution focuses on that time too much and not enough on the first 16 minutes and 59 seconds of the video that shows Floyd's brush with the cops.
Chauvin was convicted of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter charges. Speaking about the sequestered jury of six White people and six Black or multiracial people, criminal defense attorney Brock Hunter told KARE news, "Because this jury is being sequestered, they are in effect going into a bubble. Completely isolated from the rest of the world." Explaining how jurors would have been escorted for their safety and to maintain no contact with the outside world, they had added: "That's going to extend to their hotel. The sheriff's deputies are going to be present and make sure that they're not leaving, that they're not having any communications with the outside world. It's a very strange, twilight zone-like existence for these jurors."