Chauvin judge refuses jury sequester as Minneapolis faces unrest

Judge Peter Cahill refuses defence request the morning after the death of Daunte Wright causes renewed unrest in the United States.

The judge in the George Floyd murder case refused a defence request to immediately sequester the jury Monday, the morning after the killing of a Black man during a traffic stop triggered unrest in a suburb just outside Minneapolis in the United States. The request came from the attorney for former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin, charged with murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s May 25 death. Defence attorney Eric Nelson argued that the jurors could be influenced by the prospect of what might happen as a result of their verdict. “Ultimately, your honour, the question becomes will the jury be competent to make a decision regardless of the potential outcome of their decision,” Nelson said.