Last night I asked you all a simple question:
Did Derek Chauvin get a fair trial?
Or was it mob justice?
Did the jurors feel threatened?
Did the jurors feel like they HAD to convict for fear of their lives or fear of the rioting that would take place?
None of us can get inside their heads, but I was curious to know what you thought.
I promised to report the results tonight and here they are.
I thought this might be 60/40 or 709/30 but it was a blowout “no” response:
And in case you missed some of the details from yesterday, here’s what went down….
Derek Chauvin has been found guilty in all 3 counts in George Floyd’s death.
This news comes as Minneapolis looks like a war zone.
The National Guard has been activated out of fear of even more BLM riots.
Across the nation, cities are braced to see if violence will break out.
NATIONAL POLL: Do You Think Derek Chauvin Got A Fair Trial?
While the verdict is “GUILTY,” do not be surprised if there is an appeal… and a successful one, at that.
There is a lot that the media isn’t telling you.
More details below:
Van Jones on Derek Chauvin being handcuffed and led out of court: "That is what justice looks like." pic.twitter.com/A8MkQrjuH2
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 20, 2021
Former Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin convicted of murder and manslaughter charges in the death of George Floyd.
Floyd’s death stirred worldwide protests against racism after video showed Chauvin pinning Floyd to the ground with his knee on his neck.https://t.co/GQ1mrcMFHZ
— The Associated Press (@AP) April 20, 2021
JUST IN: Jury finds Derek Chauvin guilty of all charges in George Floyd murder https://t.co/jmAUY8jgFV pic.twitter.com/stg6ygIAcr
— The Hill (@thehill) April 20, 2021
Local news in Minneapolis was the first to break the ruling.
According to the local CBS affiliate:
Following nearly a year of protest, introspection and raw emotion, former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin, who last May held a knee down on George Floyd’s neck for more than 9 minutes, has been found guilty of second-degree murder and two other charges in Floyd’s death.
Chauvin has been remanded to the custody of Hennepin County. He was led out of the courtroom in handcuffs.
The verdict was read in Hennepin County court just after 4 p.m. Thursday. It took the jury roughly 10 hours of deliberation to reach their verdict — about four hours Monday afternoon and evening, and another six hours Tuesday starting at 8 a.m.
Chauvin faced three charges:
Second-degree unintentional murder means causing death without intent by committing a felony.
Second-degree manslaughter is causing death by unreasonable risk.
Third-degree murder means causing death by an “eminently dangerous” act, showing a “depraved mind.”
WCCO’s Esme Murphy reports that Hennepin County court employees were notified to stop working at all downtown courthouse locations and to “exit downtown immediately.”
The maximum penalty on second-degree murder charges is up to 40 years in prison, and the third-degree murder charges carries a sentence of up to 25 years in prison. The maximum penalty on second-degree manslaughter is up to 10 years in prison.
The sentencing date is yet to be determined.
The jurors heard closing arguments in the trial of Derek Chauvin Monday. The two sides split most significantly on the cause of death. The prosecution argued that all the law requires is that the prosecution prove beyond a reasonable doubt is that Chauvin’s knee restraint was a “substantial cause” of Floyd’s death.
The defense stressed that Chauvin did what any reasonable officer would have done and said it was wrong to look only at nine minutes and 29 seconds when Floyd was on the ground.
In a departure from how he has looked throughout the trial, Chauvin was maskless and looked directly at his attorney throughout the three-hour defense closing statement. For the rest of the testimony and the prosecution closing he was head down, masked and taking extensive notes.
NATIONAL POLL: Do You Think Derek Chauvin Got A Fair Trial?
While Nelson’s summation was lengthy, it was also complex. And that may be why Blackwell came back with this statement in his rebuttal argument. He said this case is not that complicated and that, in the state’s view, Chauvin caused Floyd’s death.
The line he left the jury with was this: “You were told, for example, that Mr. Floyd died because his heart was too big. You heard that testimony. And now having seen all the evidence, having heard all the evidence, you know the truth. And the truth of the matter is that the reason George Floyd is dead is because Mr. Chauvin’s heart was too small.”
Since the trial began last month, the prosecution called 38 people. The defense called seven people to testify in court. Chauvin was not one of them; he invoked his constitutional right not to testify. It was a decision that came without the jury present.
If there is a conviction, next comes the determination about whether any aggravating factors existed.
But here’s where things get interesting.
It has now been revealed that jurors involved in the case had a fear of being doxxed.
Some outlets are even reporting that jurors were indeed doxxed!
If this is the case, how can that result in a fair and impartial jury?
To us, that will be massive if the case is appealed.
Jurors in high profile cases have a real fear of being doxxed. This is borderline jury tampering. https://t.co/CTPYETwfPN
— Rita Panahi (@RitaPanahi) April 20, 2021
Jurors didn't want their families doxxed, assaulted & houses to burn.
— Testify (@RepAllDogs) April 20, 2021
He'll get acquitted on appeal, but now the doxxed jurors won't have their homes assaulted.
Probably. https://t.co/Oe6wh9omMG
— Rosen Ritter (@RosenRitter) April 20, 2021
Really??
The jurors were doxxed
The only reasonable thing was guilty
The appeal will be interesting— lord zantheus (@zantheus93) April 20, 2021
https://twitter.com/ZNNpatriot/status/1384592172515725312
https://twitter.com/NewTomWhoDis/status/1384614953596850177
But that’s not all.
There are rumors that the defense could possible claim that Biden was “interfering.”
Other experts even say that Maxine Waters intimidated the jurors.
If this is true, this will also weigh heavily on any appeal.
RIP due process. The judge needs to declare a mistrial. https://t.co/owAVZYGypo
— Jenna Ellis (@JennaEllisEsq) April 20, 2021
NATIONAL POLL: Do You Think Derek Chauvin Got A Fair Trial?
Biden is now putting his finger on the scale of justice in the Chauvin case.
That’s beyond inappropriate.
— John Cardillo (@johncardillo) April 20, 2021
https://twitter.com/amber_athey/status/1384539981977423873
What happened to all that empty talk about an independent judiciary?
This is completely inappropriate.https://t.co/F4ZSU0rkDe
— Dinesh D'Souza (@DineshDSouza) April 20, 2021
Here’s what Maxine Waters said:
DERSHOWITZ: What Maxine Waters did, coupled with the judge refusing to sequester the jury, will lead to the US Supreme Court ultimately reversing any conviction for Derek Chauvin@JulieCourtTV
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) April 20, 2021
People who are not members of the Chauvin jury:
❌Joe Biden
❌Maxine Waters
Mayor of Baltimore
❌BLM, Inc
❌Literally every person commenting right now on Twitter with an opinion as to the “right” verdict— Jenna Ellis (@JennaEllisEsq) April 20, 2021
Another day and the White House again won't condemn calls from Maxine Waters to "get more confrontational," a clear intimidation of the jury in the Chauvin case
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) April 20, 2021
Maxine Waters’ reaction to Chauvin guilty verdict on all three counts: “Someone said it better than me: I’m not celebrating. I’m relieved.”
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) April 20, 2021
Maxine Waters dismisses Chauvin trial judge's criticism of her remarks https://t.co/YRnh5svuQU pic.twitter.com/XrbZALOJyA
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) April 20, 2021
So what do you think?
Was the verdict deserved?
Was this a mistrial?
Or should the case be appealed and if so, will Chauvin eventually be acquitted?
Please add your vote here….👇
Join the conversation!
Please share your thoughts about this article below. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion!