Prosecutors Fight Back Against Efforts To Move Trial Of Ex-Officers Accused In George Floyd's Murder
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Prosecutors are fighting back against efforts to move the trial of two former Minneapolis officers accused in George Floyd's murder out of the city.
The state trial for Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng is scheduled to begin in less than two weeks. Both are charged with aiding and abetting Floyd's murder.
Prosecutors argue there is no place the trial could be moved to where potential jurors had not heard about the case.
Jury selection begins here in Hennepin County Court on June 13. This would be the third trial in the George Floyd case.
Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder in 2021. Earlier this year, Kueng, Thao and Lane were found guilty in federal court of depriving Floyd of his civil rights.
if convicted in state court, the two other officers could face 12.5 years in prison.
The trial also comes after now-former Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter was found guilty of manslaughter in the death of Daunte Wright. For defense attorneys, it's a seismic shift from when juries would give police officers the benefit of the doubt.
Joe Tamburino is defense attorney not affiliated with the case.
"In the last year the political climate, the social climate has not been good for officers who are facing criminal charges," Tamburino said.
Another likely factor in this case is witness fatigue. Courtney Ross, George Floyd's girlfriend, says testifying is overwhelming not just for her, but the other witnesses, too.
"I'm gonna have to testify again," Ross said. "All of them are just so traumatized. They are having a hard time moving on in life."
The defense in this latest case has filed a motion to move the trial to either Dakota or Olmstead counties because of pretrial publicity. A similar motion in Chauvin's case failed, and the prosecution is arguing once again that moving the trial wouldn't matter because the pretrial publicity has "affected the entire state."
Ex-officer Thomas Lane, who pleaded guilty to aiding in abetting manslaughter in Floyd's murder, agreed to a three-year sentence.
Chauvin is currently servicing a 22.5-year sentence for his murder conviction.