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Who is Judeah Reynolds? Girl, 10, who saw Derek Chauvin kill George Floyd felt 'proud' to testify

'Mom, they had their knee on his neck and they killed him,' youngest witness Judeah Reynolds told her mother after seeing George Floyd's murder

The testimony of 10-year-old Judeah Reynolds, a young girl from Minneapolis, was one of the key contributing factors in the verdict of Derek Chauvin's trial. She was 9 years old when she witnessed the brutal murder of George Floyd, as former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled down on his neck for over nine minutes till he stopped breathing.

On Tuesday, April 20, Chauvin was pronounced guilty in all three charges, including second-degree unintentional murder and third-degree murder of Floyd. Now, prosecutors are of the opinion that Judeah's testimony might actually lead to a longer prison sentence for Chauvin since the murder was committed in presence of a child. Meanwhile, the young girl admitted that she felt "kinda proud" for participating in the trial, according to Daily Mail.  

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Who is Judeah Reynolds?

Judeah Reynolds was a mere child of just nine years who accidentally ended up witnessing the inhuman murder of Floyd. On the fateful day of May 25, 2020, she begged her teenage cousin to take her to a store. As her cousin obliged, the two girls walked to the Cup Foods outlet where Floyd reportedly tried to pay with counterfeit money. He was soon arrested by Chauvin and three other police officers responding to the scene.

As Judeah and her cousin exited the store after buying some snacks, they found Floyd face down on the street, as police officer Chauvin was kneeling down on his neck. In spite of desperate appeals and pleadings from Judeah, her cousin and the crowd around, Chauvin reportedly refused to let Floyd go. According to the Fundrazr campaign for Judeah, Chauvin even glanced once at Judeah and her cousin, as he seemingly enjoyed 'having an audience to his power'. 

Her cousin had filmed the incident on her phone and the footage soon went viral and also helped provide substantial evidence for Chauvin's conviction. The two cousins returned home after Floyd was put on a stretcher and into an ambulance. However, Judeah, whose family is homeless and lives amid constant struggles and hardship, was extremely traumatized by the incident. As she met her mom, she reportedly cried and said, "Mom, they had their knee on his neck and they killed him.”

As the video taken by Judeah's cousin was circulated widely, they were also subjected to immense hatred, threats and trolling on the internet, which led them to experience PTSD. During Chauvin's trial, Judeah bravely testified against him in court as the youngest witness in the case. Prosecutors cited her testimony as an 'aggravating factor' in Chauvin's ultimate conviction since he committed the killing in front of a child. As Judeah feels proud about her testimony helping to serve justice, she is also preparing a children's storybook where she would be narrating her life-changing experience. 

'The little girl said Derek had his knee on his neck'

Judeah earned immense appreciation on social media for her brave testimony. As people acknowledged her contribution in the trial, some spoke about the horror she had to face that day. 

"A speaker describes the trauma that the trial has had on young people who witnessed George Floyd's death. "The little girl said Derek had his knee on his neck," he says, referring to Judeah Reynolds, 10, who saw the arrest and testified last week," wrote NY Times reporter Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs. Prior to the conviction of Chauvin, one user tweeted, "While a 9 yrs old Judeah Reynolds watched George Floyd suffocate under a Minneapolis police officer’s knee and a 17 yr old too. Don't say it wasn't murder!"

"THANK YOU DONALD WILLIAMS, GENEVIEVE HANSEN, 9-YR OLD JUDEAH REYNOLDS, and all of the INCREDIBLE and brave witnesses for prosecution. Always look for and remember the helpers," one user expressed their gratitude after Chauvin's guilty verdict. Another compared Judeah and other witnesses with superheroes, saying, "Donald Williams is our Captain America!! Darnella Frazier is our Storm! Genevieve Hansen is our Jean Gray, Charles McMillian is our Professor X. Little Judeah Reynolds is our X23, Derek Smith is our Wolverine- these are the HEROS that Stan Lee envisioned!! Our X-MEN #GeorgeFloyd."