Former cop waives right to testify at Floyd murder trial

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin waived his right yesterday to testify to the jury about his part in the deadly arrest last May of George Floyd as both sides rested their cases at his murder trial, the most high-profile police misconduct case in decades.

“I will invoke my Fifth Amendment privilege today,” Chauvin, 45, said in a hearing before the jury was brought in yesterday morning after briefly removing his mask, referring to the constitutional right against self-incrimination.

They were his most extensive remarks since his trial began with jury selection on March 8.

The defence told Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill that it would call no more witnesses after two days of testimony and rested its case, which has focused on raising doubts about what caused Floyd’s death.

It is rare for defendants to take the stand in a criminal case because they face intense cross-examination by prosecutors and risk undermining their case and credibility.

After a short appearance by a rebuttal witness, prosecutors from the Minnesota attorneygeneral’s office also rested their case.

Cahill said jurors would hear closing arguments on Monday before receiving the case for deliberations.

They will be sequestered at a hotel in a city whose downtown is filled with National Guard troops and boarded-up windows, preparing for potential unrest.

“If I were you, I would plan for long and hope for short,” Cahill told jurors on the question of how much to pack.

Chauvin, who is white, was seen in bystander video kneeling on the neck of Floyd, a 46-year-old black man in handcuffs, for more than nine minutes after Floyd was accused of using a counterfeit $20 bill to buy cigarettes.

The footage of Floyd’s death sparked global protests against the disproportionate use of force by police against black people.