State vs. Chauvin: Jury selection continues on Day Five

Tommy Wiita & Josh Skluzacek
[KSTP-TV]

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS will have team coverage of Derek Chauvin’s trial on-air and online. Here’s how to follow the daily developments:

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3:22 p.m.

Juror No. 49 has been dismissed. The judge said his financial situation and strong beliefs in the case warranted a release.

The court is in recess until Monday morning starting at 8 a.m.

3:15 p.m.

Juror No. 49 is being questioned.

2:54 p.m.

The state prosecution team has used a peremptory challenge strike on Juror No. 48, their fifth used. They have four remaining. The defense has seven remaining.

The court is in recess until 3:15 p.m.

2:10 p.m.

Juror No. 48 is being questioned in court.

He is a military veteran who has a family wedding to attend during the trial. He spent eight years in the Army Reserve.

He realized when he was summoned that this was already "a big case."

He adds he doesn’t watch a lot of news but has seen clips of the incident.

The man said he feels neutral about Chauvin and somewhat positive about Floyd. He also believes the protests had a positive and negative impact. However, he explained that he doesn’t think all protesters can be associated with the destruction and looting that occurred.

The potential juror says he doesn’t believe discrimination is what the media portrays, saying it’s "overblown" in the media. In regards to defunding the police, he told the defense he wasn’t sure what the phrase means.

He believes that "all lives do matter," in response to a question asking him what he thought of Blue Lives Matter and Black Lives Matter.

Regarding his military experience, he went to Kuwait for one to two weeks and then to Iraq. He said he was deployed in 2005. He commented on the setup downtown with fencing and guards, and stated he hadn’t seen anything like it since he was deployed.

When protests and riots were erupting in Minneapolis, he told his two young kids "that something happened that a lot of people didn’t agree with what happened, or how it happened. They gather as a group to try and let people know how to feel."

The man says his distant cousin’s wife is a police officer in Wisconsin and he has a cousin who is an officer in Illinois. He told state prosecutors that he doesn’t see them often and he is not close with either of them.

2 p.m.

Judge Cahill has excused Juror No. 46 due to it being a financial hardship for her to serve on the jury.

She stated she was moving soon and is starting a new job as well.

1:44 p.m.

Juror No. 44 will serve on the jury for the Chauvin trial. She becomes the seventh person to be added.

A courtroom pool reporter describes the woman to be white and in her 40s.

1:20 p.m.

The court has reconvened. Questioning continues for Juror No. 44.

The woman tells state prosecutor Steve Schleicher she feels empathy for Floyd and the former officers.

"No one wants to take someone’s life — if that is what happened — so that’s where the empathy comes from. I’m sure his death is not something that anyone wanted. I’m sure the intention was there," she said.

She also stated that she has strong views about the use of drugs and further explained that she is "anti-drug." She has a negative opinion of any drug user because "they are making bad decisions."

The juror in question said she has prior experience with being on a jury.

12:05 p.m.

Questioning will continue from the state prosecution team after recess concludes at 1:15 p.m.

Four potential jurors have been sent home for the day, due to some delays Friday has provided. They will return on Monday morning.

10:30 a.m.

The court has reconvened. There is no explanation for the 40-minute delay, other than a juror running late.

Juror No. 44 is being questioned. She is a single mother with two teenage boys. She works in a nonprofit healthcare advocacy position.

She said her initial concern for safety was due to the possibility of her information being leaked in this case, but reaffirms she is willing to go through with being a possible juror. She says she wants to see all the facts presented in front of her in order to make a decision.

She said she could not watch the entire Floyd video, calling it "emotional." She wrote on the questionnaire that she felt like the officers involved had different levels of culpability. However, she is willing to keep an open mind to what the Minneapolis Police Department’s policies are.

She had differing opinions on the outcome of the protests: saying it brought attention to real issues, but the destruction of businesses was unnecessary.

"Laws were created many, many years ago that have not kept up with cultural and societal changes," was her response regarding discrimination portrayed in the media.

The woman told the defense she had a discussion with a coworker, who is Black, about the differences in how white people view law enforcement in comparison to Black people. She said she has gained perspective from that.

9:49 a.m.

Juror No. 42 has been dismissed. The defense has used a peremptory challenge strike against her, their eighth used so far. They have seven remaining. State prosecutors have five remaining.

9:10 a.m.

The court is in session. Juror No. 42, a woman, is being questioned. She is described to be a white woman in her 20s, who is a recent college graduate.

The juror says she enjoys playing hockey and the outdoors. She adds she played the sport while she was in school. She describes herself as a "genuine person."

When it comes to finding the truth in conflict, she tells the defense that she is willing to look at more than one aspect (such as fingerprints, etc. in a criminal case). However, she formed a negative impression on Chauvin.

"I could only watch part of the video… as a human… that didn’t give me a good impression," she told attorney Eric Nelson, saying she couldn’t finish watching the video, calling it an "inhumane action by Chauvin."

She adds that she participated in a Black Lives Matter protest in Duluth and had cousins participating in the same protests in Minneapolis. She believes police need reform but she can be open-minded during the trial. She further states, however, that she believes Black people do not receive equal treatment in the justice system.

She adds she has an uncle who is a police officer outside of the metro area.

Day Five of the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin will continue the process of jury selection.

So far, six jurors have been seated — five men and one woman — leaving eight seats left to fill.

Unlike previous days, attorneys will not meet with Judge Peter Cahill to discuss motions at 8 a.m. and will instead pick up with jury selection at 9 a.m.

KSTP’s complete coverage of the Chauvin trial