Judge denies request to delay, move Derek Chauvin trial

A Minneapolis judge on Friday denied the request of defense lawyers for Derek Chauvin to relocate and delay his murder trial in connection to George Floyd’s death, according to CNN.

Judge Peter Cahill’s decision came just a week after the city of Minneapolis reached a settlement in a civil suit with Floyd’s family for a record $27 million.

Chauvin’s attorney Eric Nelson argued on Monday that that well-publicized settlement would affect the jury selection process for the case, prejudicing them against his client.

“The fact that this came in the exact middle of jury selection — it’s perplexing to me, your honor, whose idea it was to release this information when it was released,” Nelson said.

Cahill said that he would consider the defense motion but ended up deciding against moving the trial out of Minneapolis.

On Monday, the judge decided to call the jurors who were already selected for the case to be questioned about the settlement. Two of them were dismissed on Wednesday after stating that they were unable to be impartial in the case.

Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree unintentional murder, second-degree manslaughter charges and third-degree murder in the death of Floyd, whose slaying last May reinvigorated the Black Lives Matter movement