As the Derek Chauvin murder trial continues to heat up, besides ongoing jury selection, the real fight is about whether or not a 2019 arrest of George Floyd will ever come into evidence. This issue is really about the cause of death and whether or not the 2019 charge is relevant. Did Chauvin kill Floyd or did Floyd die because of other issues?

Essentially, in 2019, Mr. Floyd was alleged to have drugs in his car. Upon arrest, he was put in the back of a squad car and subsequently, chewed up pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine as well as Mr. Floyd’s DNA were found in the back of the squad. This is important as the allegations in the 2020 incident include allegations that Mr. Floyd again had drugs in his car and when arrested, actually chewed up drugs at the time as well. Further, he was subsequently found with fentanyl and methamphetamine in his body. Since cause of death is at issue, there is a question about whether the drugs and other issues killed Floyd or whether it was Chauvin. The former is likely the narrative that will be pushed by the Chauvin Defense team. Cahill’s response was that Floyd’s bodily response to ingesting large amounts of drugs may at issue. This isn’t a ruling but we will see.

Jack Rice is a sought after Board Certified Criminal Law Specialist and nationally known Criminal Defense Attorney. He has stood in front of many juries dealing with serious assaults, sex crimes and murder. Contact Jack Rice Defense for a free consultation.