(Okay, so here's a little recap of what transpired yesterday at the Chauvin trial. Keep in mind this is a piece from the Minneapolis Star and Sickle (StarTrib), so there's bound to be a Left slant somewhere. W.T.)
What Happened Friday in the Derek Chauvin Trial
Two medical experts disagreed about whether George Floyd's physical condition or illicit drug use played a role in his death.
By Paul Walsh, Abby Simons and Hannah Sayle
Star Tribune
April 9, 2021 — 5:23pm
What happened Friday in the Derek Chauvin trial
Court TV/Pool Dr. Andrew Baker ruled that George Floyd’s cause of death was “cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression.”
Ex-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is charged with second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the killing of George Floyd in south Minneapolis on May 25, 2020. With the world watching, proceedings began March 8. Three other fired officers who assisted in Floyd's 2020 arrest — J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao — are scheduled to be tried in August on charges of aiding and abetting murder and manslaughter.
Here's how the Chauvin trial is unfolding.
Friday, April 9
Today in court:
"What I observed from all of these videos is this was not a sudden death," Thomas testified. "It's not like snow shoveling when someone clutches their chest and falls over. There was nothing sudden about his death."
She later said with certainty, "There's no evidence to suggest he would have died that night except for the interactions with law enforcement."
2. Dr. Andrew Baker, the chief Hennepin County Medical Examiner who performed Floyd's autopsy and stood by his ruling that Floyd's cause of death was a homicide, caused by "cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression." Baker did not include a lack of oxygen, or asphyxia, a cause that three medical expert witnesses have firmly said was what killed Floyd.
The doctor tied Floyd's "very severe underlying heart disease" and enlarged heart, which needed more oxygen, combined with the stress of being pinned to the street with his face scraping the asphalt.
"Those events are gonna cause stress hormones to pour out of your body, specifically things like adrenaline, and what that adrenaline is going to do is it's going to ask your heart to beat faster," Baker testified.
"It's going to ask your body for more oxygen so that you can get through that altercation, and in my opinion, the law enforcement subdual restraint and the neck compression was just more than Mr. Floyd could take by virtue of those heart conditions."
What to expect next: The prosecution continues presenting its case Monday with testimony from another medical expert, and will likely rest soon. The defense is expected to present its case sometime next week.
Dr. Baker Testimony (RT: 1:00:17)
View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRMOoBevbIM
What Happened Friday in the Derek Chauvin Trial
Two medical experts disagreed about whether George Floyd's physical condition or illicit drug use played a role in his death.
By Paul Walsh, Abby Simons and Hannah Sayle
Star Tribune
April 9, 2021 — 5:23pm
What happened Friday in the Derek Chauvin trial
Court TV/Pool Dr. Andrew Baker ruled that George Floyd’s cause of death was “cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression.”
Ex-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is charged with second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the killing of George Floyd in south Minneapolis on May 25, 2020. With the world watching, proceedings began March 8. Three other fired officers who assisted in Floyd's 2020 arrest — J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao — are scheduled to be tried in August on charges of aiding and abetting murder and manslaughter.
Here's how the Chauvin trial is unfolding.
Friday, April 9
Today in court:
- The prosecution called two new witnesses to the stand. They were:
"What I observed from all of these videos is this was not a sudden death," Thomas testified. "It's not like snow shoveling when someone clutches their chest and falls over. There was nothing sudden about his death."
She later said with certainty, "There's no evidence to suggest he would have died that night except for the interactions with law enforcement."
2. Dr. Andrew Baker, the chief Hennepin County Medical Examiner who performed Floyd's autopsy and stood by his ruling that Floyd's cause of death was a homicide, caused by "cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression." Baker did not include a lack of oxygen, or asphyxia, a cause that three medical expert witnesses have firmly said was what killed Floyd.
The doctor tied Floyd's "very severe underlying heart disease" and enlarged heart, which needed more oxygen, combined with the stress of being pinned to the street with his face scraping the asphalt.
"Those events are gonna cause stress hormones to pour out of your body, specifically things like adrenaline, and what that adrenaline is going to do is it's going to ask your heart to beat faster," Baker testified.
"It's going to ask your body for more oxygen so that you can get through that altercation, and in my opinion, the law enforcement subdual restraint and the neck compression was just more than Mr. Floyd could take by virtue of those heart conditions."
What to expect next: The prosecution continues presenting its case Monday with testimony from another medical expert, and will likely rest soon. The defense is expected to present its case sometime next week.
Dr. Baker Testimony (RT: 1:00:17)
