UPDATE 9:49 ET:
Judge Peter Cahill reinstated the third-degree murder charge against Derek Chauvin during court proceedings Thursday morning.
BREAKING: A third-degree murder charge has just been reinstated against Derek Chauvin in George Floyd's death. It carries a maximum penalty of up to 25 years in prison and adds to the 2nd degree unintentional murder and the 2nd degree manslaughter charges he already faces.
— Omar Jimenez (@OmarJimenez) March 11, 2021
CrimeOnline will provide further updates when more information is available.
Original story:
Court proceedings will continue Thursday in the murder trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged with killing George Floyd in May 2020.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, five jurors have been seated in the last two days. Before jury selection continues on Thursday, Judge Peter Cahill will address the lingering question of whether to add a third-degree murder charge to Chauvin’s current charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter.
As Fox 9 News reports, the Minnesota Supreme Court has denied a prosecutor’s petition to reinstate the third-degree murder charge, meaning that Judge Cahill will make the decision.
According to the report, Judge Cahill said in court on Wednesday he is confident the jury trial will begin as scheduled on March 29, and advised the selected jurors to avoid reading or watching news about the case.
Fox 9 is hosting a live stream of the court proceedings, set to begin at 8 a.m. central time.
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[Featured image: Derek Chauvin/Hennepin County jail; George Floyd; Facebook]
