MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A former Minneapolis police officer who held his knee to the neck of George Floyd for minutes will be tried separately from the three other former officers accused in his death, according to an order filed Tuesday that cites limited courtroom space due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Derek Chauvin will stand trial alone in March while the other three former officers will be tried together in the summer. Judge Peter Cahill cited the limitations of physical space during the coronavirus pandemic, saying it is “impossible to comply with COVID-19 physical restrictions” given how many lawyers and support personnel that four defendants say would be present.
Prosecutors disagreed with the judge’s decision to split the trials. A defense attorney for former officer Thomas Lane said he believed a separate trial would be better for his client, while the other defense attorneys either declined to comment or did not return messages.
Last week, prosecutors asked Cahill to postpone the March 8 trial to June 7 to reduce public health risks associated with COVID-19. In his Monday order, which was filed Tuesday, the judge wrote that while the pandemic situation may be greatly improved by June, “the Court is not so optimistic given news reports detailing problems with the vaccine rollout.”
Cahill said that Hennepin County Chief Judge Toddrick Barnette requested the change after learning that each defendant planned to have co-counsel or legal support at the defense tables. Barnette looked at the configuration of the courtroom and concluded that with so many people, the space was not conducive to social distancing. Barnette wrote that he believed the courtroom could handle up to three defendants at once.