What we know about the jurors selected so far in Derek Chauvin's trial
(CNN)The jurors selected so far this week in Derek Chauvin's trial in the death of George Floyd are unnamed and unseen on camera, but we do know basic details about them.
Five men
and two women -- half the jury -- had been chosen to serve during the
trial in Minneapolis by the time court adjourned on Friday.
The jury selection process,
which began Tuesday at the Hennepin County Government Center, will
continue until the court decides on 14 people -- 12 jurors and two
alternates, Hennepin County Court director of communications Spenser
Bickett told CNN.
Floyd,
a 46-year-old Black man, died on May 25, 2020, after Chauvin, a White
former Minneapolis Police officer, placed his knee on Floyd's neck for
an extended period while Floyd pleaded, "I can't breathe." His final moments were captured on video,
and his death led to widespread protests against police brutality and
racism under the banner Black Lives Matter as well as incidents of
unrest and looting.
Chauvin
has pleaded not guilty to second-degree unintentional murder and
second-degree manslaughter charges. He has also pleaded not guilty to
third-degree murder, which was reinstated in the case on Thursday.
Opening statements are expected to start no earlier than March 29, followed by testimony that could take about four weeks.
Separately on Friday, the fourth day of jury selection, the Minneapolis City Council unanimously voted to approve a $27 million settlement to Floyd's estate.
Who was selected
In
this screen grab from video, defense attorney Eric Nelson, left, and
former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin listen in court during
jury selection on Wednesday.
The jurors all come from Hennepin County, which is demographically about 74% White and 14% Black, according to Census data.
The prospective jurors have previously completed a 16-page questionnaire
that asked for their personal thoughts on Black Lives Matter, policing
and other topics. In court, each person is sworn in and then questioned
one-by-one in a process known as voir dire. The juror's name, address
and other information are kept anonymous.
Eric
Nelson is questioning the prospective jurors for the defense, while
Steve Schleicher is questioning them for the prosecution. Judge Peter
Cahill is presiding over the trial.
Three
jurors were selected on the first day of jury selection on Tuesday, and
two jurors were selected on Wednesday. One was chosen on Thursday and
another on Friday.
The first juror selected was a White man in his 20s or 30s who works as a chemist and said he has an analytical mind.
The
second juror was a woman of color who appears to be in her 20s or 30s,
according to a pool reporter's observations in court. She said she was
"super excited" about getting the jury questionnaire form.
The third juror selected was a White man in his 30s who works as an auditor.
The
fourth juror was a White man in his late 30s or 40s who said he had a
"very favorable" view of Black Lives Matter. He also said he believed
police are more truthful than other witnesses. The juror is planning to
get married on May 1 and told the court that if he was selected for the
trial it could delay the wedding.
"Go ahead and throw me under the bus with your fiancée," the judge joked. The juror replied, "OK, I will do that."
The
fifth juror selected was a Black man in his 30s or 40s who moved to the
US 14 years ago and works in information technology. He said that he
had a "somewhat negative" opinion of Chauvin, that he strongly disagreed
with defunding the police and that police make him feel safe.
The
sixth juror was a Hispanic man in his 20s or 30s, according to the pool
reporter's observations. The man, who works as a truck driver, said
Chauvin "gave me the impression of showing off his authority" in the
video of Floyd's death, and he also said none of this would have
happened if Floyd had complied with police.
The
seventh juror is a white woman in her 50s, according to the court. She
said she has a "somewhat negative" impression of Chauvin, and believes
there are biases against African Americans but not everyone in the
system is bad. She said she felt empathy for Floyd as well as the
officers because "at the end of the day I'm sure that the intention was
not there for this to happen."
Who was excused
Plexiglass
barriers to limit the spread of Covid-19 have been installed in the
courtroom at the Hennepin County Government Center.
If
the defense or prosecution believes a person cannot be impartial in the
case, they can ask the court to dismiss the person for cause. Each side
has unlimited challenges for cause.
Prosecutors
and defense attorneys can also move to dismiss prospective jurors
without cause, using what's called a peremptory challenge. Chauvin's
team is allowed 15 of these challenges and the prosecution has nine.
These peremptory challenges can themselves be challenged, though, if
they are based on race, ethnicity or sex -- known as a Batson challenge.
The
defense used peremptory strikes Wednesday on a Hispanic woman who said
her English was not great and on a Hispanic man who had martial arts
training. The state raised a Batson challenge and argued that the
strikes were race-based, but the defense disagreed, and the judge sided
with the defense's race-neutral reasoning.
The
state used a peremptory strike Friday on a man in his 40s who appeared
to be white. He said he was an Army veteran who served in Iraq.
Bystanders seen in the video of Floyd's encounter with the police, he
said, likely raised the stress level of the moment.
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