When George Floyd’s murder was first video recorded and exposed on television, it was fairly apparent to any lawyer who had the stomach to watch that Derrick Chauvin’s defense was going to have a very difficult time.

The procession of police witnesses who testified that Chauvin’s use of force was excessive, and his knee technique unauthorized, the parade of tearful bystanders who expressed their feelings of helplessness in the moments Floyd pleaded to breathe, and the state’s medical experts who explained how Chauvin’s knee caused Floyd’s death in language the jury could easily understand, made the government’s case virtually insurmountable, and the defense’s job nearly impossible. Yet, we held our collective breaths awaiting the jury verdict that, after 10 hours, declared Chauvin guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

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