Judge turns down defense request to sequester jury in Chauvin trial

The judge in the trial of Derek Chauvin turned down the defense’s request on Monday to sequester the jury after a police officer shot and killed a 20-year-old Black man in a Minneapolis suburb the previous day.

Defense attorney Eric Nelson argued that jurors in the George Floyd murder case could be influenced by how their verdict might affect the reaction to Sunday’s shooting.

The judge also denied the defense request to question the jurors about the killing of Daunte Wright at the Brooklyn Center on Sunday. The defense said one juror lives around Brooklyn Center and two more have ties to the area.

Nelson had requested at the beginning of the high-profile trial that jurors be sequestered. Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill instead instructed jurors to avoid outside news reports on the trial.

But the judge said he expects to sequester the jury when they eventually deliberate. Closing arguments are slated for next week.

Chauvin, 45, is on trial for Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis last May, which sparked national protests against police brutality and racial injustice.