Judge in Floyd case warns of a change of venue, gag order
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[June 30, 2020]
By Brendan O'Brien
(Reuters) - A Minneapolis judge on Monday
warned that he may move the proceedings against four police officers
charged in the death of George Floyd to a different venue and issue a
gag order in a case that has drawn worldwide attention, local media
reported.
During brief hearings for each of the four former Minneapolis police
officers, Hennepin County District Court Judge Peter Cahill told their
attorneys and prosecutors he is concerned that pretrial publicity may
impede chances of a fair trial, a local NBC affiliate reported.
"They are more than likely pushing this trial to a different venue if
they (public officials) continue to do so," Cahill told lead prosecutor
Matthew Frank. "They need to be aware of that."
Frank replied that the attorneys have no control over public officials,
KARE 11 reported.
One of the former officers, Derek Chauvin, 44, pinned his knee into
Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes on May 25 when he and the three
other former policemen were arresting Floyd in a Minneapolis
neighborhood. Floyd was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
The incident, caught on video by bystander, sparked massive protests
against racial injustice and calls for police reforms.
Chauvin, who attended Monday's hearing via a video link, faces a
second-degree murder charge. The three other officers, J. Alexander
Kueng, Tou Thao and Thomas Lane, appeared in person and have been
charged with aiding and abetting in the case. None of the four officers
entered a plea on Monday.
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Former Minneapolis police officers (clockwise from top left) Derek
Chauvin, Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng poses in a
combination of booking photographs from the Minnesota Department of
Corrections and Hennepin County Jail in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Minnesota Department of Corrections and Hennepin County Sheriff's
Office/Handout via REUTERS.
At the next hearing, on Sept. 11, Cahill could decide whether the
four officers will be tried together or separately. The first trial
date was set for March 8, 2021.
Cahill is also considering whether cameras will be allowed in the
courtroom.
Bail for Chauvin was earlier set at $1.25 million or $1 million
under certain conditions, while for the other three it was set at
$750,000-$1 million each.
Chauvin and Thao, 34, remain in custody, while Kueng, 26, and Lane,
37, have been released on conditional bond.
(Reporting by Maria Caspani in New York and Nathan Layne in Wilton,
Connecticut; Editing by Marguerita Choy, Bill Tarrant and Leslie
Adler)
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