Philonise Floyd breaks down on witness stand as jury is shown young George Floyd's photo with mother
The brother of George Floyd broke down in court on Monday, April 12, when a photo of their mother holding Floyd as a baby was shown to the jury.
Philonise Floyd testified how the two of them were close growing up in Texas, and how his elder sibling was devoted to their mother. "He loved her so dearly," Philonise said at the start of the third and possibly the final week of testimony before jury deliberations in the Derek Chauvin trial.
RELATED ARTICLES
Derek Chauvin trial: Ben Shapiro slams biased media coverage, says it's 'paving way for riots'
The devastated brother described the photo to jurors in Hennepin County District Court. "That's my mother, she's no longer with us, but that's my oldest brother George. I miss both of them," he said. Philonise noted that his wedding anniversary is in May, and how he suffered losing both his brother and mother in May. "It's a bittersweet moment because I'm supposed to be happy when that month comes," he said.
The aggrieved sibling said that Floyd was able to speak to their mother on the phone while she was in hospice care, but couldn't see her before her demise on May 30, 2018. At her funeral, a distraught Floyd repeatedly called out "Momma" and wouldn't leave her casket, the brother said.
According to Philonise, his brother's relationship with his mother "was one of a kind. George, he would always be upon our mom. He was a big mama's boy. Every mother loves all of her kids, but it's so unique how they were. He would lay upon her like in the fetus position, like he was in the womb."
Meanwhile, in the family's community, Floyd "was one of those people in the community, when they had church outside, people would attend church just because he was there. Nobody would go out there until they seen him. He was a person everybody loved around the community. He just knew how to make people feel better," Philonise said.
The brothers, albeit seven years apart, spent a lot of time together growing up in Houston and "playing video games all the time" such as "Double Dribble" and "Tecmo Bowl," Philonise recalled. He also remembered how his older brother would "make the best banana mayonnaise sandwiches. George couldn't cook. He couldn't boil water." The brother also reminisced how George "wanted to be taller all the time because he loved sports," adding: "He wanted to be the best."
Judge Peter A Cahill concluded the day by informing jurors they should expect to hear the defense's case starting Tuesday, April 13 and their closing arguments following Monday, April 19, before sequestration for deliberations on the charges, the Star Tribune reported.
Cahill said jurors would probably start deliberating on Friday, April 16, but the judge wanted to make sure they wouldn't be sequestered over the coming weekend. "So, pack a bag" and "bring it to court on Monday", he told the jurors. Former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin is charged with second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter in the death of George Floyd. Three other officers who assisted in Floyd's May 2020 arrest, namely J Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao, are awaiting trial in August on charges of aiding and abetting murder and manslaughter.
