Names of jurors who convicted ex-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin to be released
The names of those who served on the jury that convicted Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer currently serving prison time for the death of George Floyd, are slated to be released next week.
Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill on Monday announced he will reveal the identities of the 14 jurors, including the two alternates who heard the case but did participate in the legal proceedings. The verdict form signed by the jury foreperson as well as written questionnaires filled out by all 109 potential jurors will also be made public on Nov. 1.
The decision is in response to a request filed in August by a coalition of local and national news outlets, including the Star Tribune.
“On the present record, this Court cannot assay any strong reason to believe the jurors continue to need protection from any external threats to their safety at this point, four months after this Court’s sentencing of Chauvin, or that there is a substantial likelihood that making the prospective and impaneled jurors’ names public information will interfere with the fair and impartial administration of justice,” Cahill wrote.
The judge also encouraged reporters to make “respectful inquiry and scrutiny of jurors so that the public can better understand their verdict and the workings of the criminal justice system.”
Cahill initially ordered the jurors’ names to be sealed after they found Chauvin guilty in April of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. He was sentenced to more than 22 years in prison.
The conviction stems from a violent interaction between 46-year-old Floyd and Chauvin on Memorial Day last year. Chauvin and three other Minneapolis police officers — J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao — at the time were responding to allegations that Floyd used a phony $20 bill to buy cigarettes at a Minneapolis convenience store.
Bystander and cellphone video of the incident shows Chauvin kneeling down on Floyd’s neck until he becomes unresponsive the afternoon of May 25, 2020. It was ultimately posted online, setting off a firestorm of criticism and weeks of protests across the nation and around the world.
Chauvin has since filed an appeal in the case.
