Opening statements to be made Monday in federal trial of former Minneapolis officers
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Opening statements will be made Monday in the federal trial of former Minneapolis police officers Thomas Lane, J Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao.
Each officer is charged with violating George Floyd’s civil rights in the 2020 arrest that resulted in his death.
After 18 jurors are sworn in around 10 a.m., opening statements will begin, with each legal team allowed 30-40 minutes to present their statement.
As 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS reported last week, jurors were selected in one day. Six of the 18 jurors will be alternates. Of the 12 primary jurors, five are men and seven are women. The alternates are split evenly between men and women.
The jury is also overwhelmingly white, with apparently only two people of color — two Asian people, one of whom is an alternate.
From left: Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao[Hennepin County Sheriff's Office]
Legal expert Rachel Moran says prosecutors will likely have lots of visuals to help walk the jury through what they’re talking about. Those visuals could also include evidence from 38th and Chicago.
"They are going to want the jury to have a clear understanding of which officers are facing which charges, and what those charges even mean because I think there is a lot of confusion around that point," sad Moran, a law professor at the University of St. Thomas.
Keung, Thao and Lane all face one count for seeing Floyd was in need of medical care and failing to help him.
Keung and Thao also face a second count for failing to stop former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin from kneeling on Floyd’s neck.
It isn’t known if the three former officers plan to testify in their own defense.
Legal experts say it is also possible Chauvin could testify as well. Chauvin pleaded guilty in his federal case back in December. He was convicted of state murder charges in 2021.
"They’re trying to you know, cabin what Chauvin might say if perchance he were called to testify in this case. The defense could call him, and it would be an interesting tactic," said Mark Osler, a former federal prosecutor.
Judge Paul Magnuson told the jury this trial could last up to four weeks.