Chauvin trial’s sixth day begins with jury review; police chief to testify

The murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin resumed Monday morning with a short hearing involving possible jury misconduct.

Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill began the day’s proceedings saying that there would be a hearing that would be “on the record but off audio and video.”

After several minutes, the presiding judge returned to the livestream and briefly explained what had transpired.

“I just conducted a ‘Schwartz hearing’ with the jurors,” Cahill said. “The court makes the finding that there was no jury misconduct, and that the jurors were credible in their responses, and accordingly, no action will be taken.”

According to the St. Paul-based Mitchell Hamline Law Review, a “Schwartz hearing” is “a procedure for determining whether an outside influence has had a prejudicial effect on the jury.”

Cahill did not disclose the nature of the possible misconduct of the jury.

Monday marked the start of the second week of the high-profile case which is expected to last up to a month.

Chauvin defense attorney Eric Nelson noted that three Minneapolis police officers are expected to take the stand for the prosecution, including Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arrandondo.

Two Minneapolis police officers testified Friday, Sgt. Jon Edwards and Lt. Richard Zimmerman.

Zimmerman, the longest tenured officer in the city, told the court that Chauvin kneeling on the neck of George Floyd for roughly nine minutes was “totally unnecessary.”

“Pulling him down to the ground face down and putting your knee on his neck for that amount of time, it’s just uncalled for,” Zimmerman said. “I saw no reason why the officers felt they were in danger, if that’s what they felt, and that’s what they would have to feel to be able to use that kind of force.”

Chauvin faces three criminal counts in Floyd’s death — second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.