A portrait of George Floyd during a Black Lives Matter protest this month in Manhattan.
Photo: Jeenah Moon/Getty ImagesMINNEAPOLIS—A Hennepin County judge on Monday set a tentative trial date of March 8 for the four former police officers charged in the killing of George Floyd, and warned that any continued statements by public officials on the matter could force a change of venue.
Separately, one of the four officers, J. Alexander Kueng, filed a document stating he intends to plead not guilty, claiming self-defense and saying that his use of force was both reasonable and authorized. None of the other officers have entered a plea.
Judge Peter Cahill repeatedly admonished prosecutors to do their best to restrain pretrial publicity, saying it could affect the defendants’ chances of getting a fair trial and make it more likely that a change of venue would be granted.
“Everyone is on notice,” the judge said. “And if they don’t listen, they will likely have a gag order or a change of venue.”
Several of the defense lawyers argued for hearings to be televised, saying that public officials including Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have made public statements that could sway a jury against the officers.
“I’m fighting a battle with one hand in the media,” said Robert Paule, the attorney for former officer Tou Thao. Mr. Paule said he had planned to make a public statement Monday but would hold back in deference to the judge’s wishes.
“We are just as interested in a fair trial as anybody,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew Frank, and said his office would do its best to prevent further statements.
The judge set a hearing on Sept. 11 for motions on such matters as change of venue or whether there should be one trial or four. He said March 8 would mark the start of a joint trial or the first of four separate trials.
Former police officer Thomas Lane, right, arrived with his attorney for Monday’s court hearing.
Photo: Stephen Maturen/Getty ImagesFormer Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was captured on video with his knee on Mr. Floyd’s neck for around eight minutes, appeared on a video feed from a state prison. He said, “Yes, your honor,” in a clear voice when asked if he agreed to the two dates. He is charged with second-degree murder.
The other three defendants are each charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder. Mr. Kueng and Thomas Lane, both on bail, appeared in court in person with their lawyers. Mr. Thao, who hasn’t presented bail and remains in custody, appeared in court in a small glassed-in room.
Two of Mr. Floyd’s family members were in attendance and were admonished by the judge for showing reactions to his statements.
Selwyn Jones, who identified himself as Mr. Floyd’s uncle, told reporters after the proceeding that he was offended by the judge’s comment.
“I know how the system works, I’ve seen the system my whole life—a black man getting slighted. When I walk into a courthouse and I see like 15 white people, I’m like, oh, hell, we’re going through this again,” Mr. Jones said. “So, we’ll see how the process ends up.”
Related Video
Write to Joe Barrett at joseph.barrett@wsj.com
Corrections & Amplifications
Tou Thao is one of four former police officers charged in the killing of George Floyd. An earlier version of this article misspelled his last name as Thau. (Corrected on June 29.)
Copyright ©2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
"four" - Google News
June 30, 2020 at 03:56AM
https://ift.tt/31tI6go
Judge Sets Trial Date for Four Officers Charged in George Floyd Killing - The Wall Street Journal
"four" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2ZSDCx7
https://ift.tt/3fdGID3
No comments:
Post a Comment