Judge Warns He May Move Trials of Former Officers Charged in George Floyd’s Death

A Minnesota judge is warning that he’s likely to move the trials of four former police officers charged in George Floyd’s death out of Minneapolis if public officials and attorneys continue speaking out about the case.

Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill asked a prosecutor during a pretrial hearing on Monday to use his influence to get public officials to stop talking about the case. If they don’t, he says he’ll have to move the trial or trials, depending on whether the officers are tried together or separately.

Floyd, a Black man in handcuffs, died May 25th after officer Derek Chauvin held his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly eight minutes. Floyd died of asphyxiation. Some public officials were quick to call Floyd’s death murder.

Derek Chauvin, charged with second-degree murder in Floyd’s death, appeared remotely by video during the hearing. The other three officers – J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao, each charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter – appeared in person.

The judge said the court is aiming for another hearing on September 11th and a trial date of March 8th. Today’s hearing comes more than a month after Floyd was killed while in police custody.