Judge Denies Defense’s Request To Acquit Derek Chauvin In George Floyd’s Death

During Wednesday’s trial proceedings for George Floyd, the Hennepin County judge for the murder trial of Derek Chauvin denied the defense’s request for an acquittal.

The Hill reports that Judge Peter Cahill rejected the defense’s claims that the prosecution failed to prove that Chauvin’s actions led to Floyd’s death. The prosecution had multiple witnesses that argued that Floyd died due to a lack of oxygen as a direct result of Chauvin’s actions.

“The court’s duty at this point is to look at the evidence in a light most favorable to the state and even when there are inconsistencies, major or minor, between witnesses, the jury is free to believe some and not the others,” Cahill said.

“When viewing a set of facts in a light most favorable to the state, they could give their greatest weight to those witnesses who establish that the use of force was unreasonable and that the cause of death was positional asphyxia, or lack of oxygen, however, the state wishes to characterize it, but, most importantly, that it was caused by the defendant,” the judge added.

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“That is viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the state,” the judge added. “It is clear that that has been established, and so, based on that standard, the motion for judgment of acquittal is denied.”