Thread by @LouRaguse

The Derek Chauvin trial will resume momentarily with national use of force expert Jody Stiger on the stand for the state. Court ended abruptly yesterday afternoon. Here is my thread for 4/7/21

kare11.com/article/news/l…

Testimony is resuming without Judge Cahill mentioning why they quit early yesterday, so perhaps we're reading into it too much?

Here is the youtube link for this morning as Stiger's testimony continues.

Stiger testifies that the knee restraint began at 20:19:19 and ended at 20:28:48 for a total of nine minutes and 29 seconds.

Stiger testifies that Chauvin's left knee was on Floyd's neck and right knee on his back for the entirety of the restraint. Feet spread on the ground. Majority of body weight pushing down from knees.

Stiger testifies that Chauvin's position didn't change, when reviewing this back camera view -- meaning Stiger is saying the knee was on the neck the whole time.

Then Stiger used the still photo from Kueng's body camera to counter Nelson's cross examination the last two days -- where others thought the knee looked on the shoulder blade

Stiger testifies that Chauvin was using "pain compliance" techniques. This will end up being very important to the state's case as they need to prove intent to assault in order to prove Murder in the Second Degree. Note this, as I'm sure it will be scrutinized further.

Stiger now testifying about dangers of positional asphyxia. He says it can happen even without body weight added -- but adding the body weight adds to the risk of death.

Prosecutor Steve Schleicher played a portion of the body camera for the jury where you can hear Chauvin talking to George Floyd. This would have been more effective if accompanied by a transcript.

I re-listened & hear Chauvin:
"You're doing a lot of talking, a lot of yelling."

Defense attorney Eric Nelson starts out cross-examination by pointing out that there are differences between LAPD and MPD training and techniques.

Nelson holds up Stiger's 461-page report -- and is now pointing out that Stiger has not reviewed anything after January.

Nelson seems to be building up to something.

In the current line of questioning -- Nelson is working on planting seeds to the jury that Sgt. Stiger might know LAPD, but doesn't know MPD or Minnesota as well.

Now reading aloud how MPD policy incorporates the "reasonableness standard" -- in evaluating use of force.

Nelson points out that the standard to look at is whether it was "an objectively reasonable use of force."

Now Nelson is going over what Chauvin knew as he arrived on the scene, then observing as Floyd was "actively resisting"

Stiger admits Chauvin would have been within his right to use a taser at that moment.

Nelson is trying to show that if a person in prone person is still kicking -- then continued use of force by officers can be appropriate.

He is getting Stiger to agree with questions in broad terms and hypotheticals -- that could be applied to this case but without specifically

Nelson just played a portion of the body camera video and asked "does it sound like he said 'I ate too many drugs?'"

Stiger said he couldn't make it out. Here I clipped that part of the video.

Court is back in session as cross-examination continues.

I wonder how prosecution will address that video clip part during re-direct.

Here is the section of video -- which i clipped from Kueng and Lane's body camera videos -- in which defense attorney Eric Nelson suggests George Floyd said "I ate too many drugs."

Also, here is the corresponding transcript which did not include an attempt to transcribe what Floyd said.

Remember, regardless, the jury is not seeing a transcript and they are not re-watching the clip over and over.

Unless I missed it, the prosecution did not even address the video clip during re-direct questioning.

Now MN BCA Special Agent James Reyerson is on the stand.

SA Reyerson is the lead investigator of this case.

BCA calls the lead investigator the "Case Agent."

SA Reyerson took photographs of Chauvin on May 25. He just testified that Chauvin weighed 140 lbs.
The weight of equipment is 30-40 lbs.

Back in court now with Prosecutor Matthew Frank questioning BCA Special Agent James Reyerson.

Here is our youtube link for the afternoon session.

Frank is having SA Reyerson get into the topic of drug use -- saying there was very little indication at the beginning of the case that drugs were an issue.

Now they are talking about the later search of Floyd's vehicle by the BCA.

Reyerson says the second search was initiated by the prosecution team.

This is an issue that the prosecution is presenting in the light most favorable to them.

Because the BCA did not tag drug evidence at first.

Now Reyerson is talking about how the defense asked BCA to take second look at squad car to collect drug evidence that had not been tagged as evidence at first.

Nelson will no doubt try to present this in a different light.

When news broke during jury selection/pretrial hearings that the BCA missed drugs in the squad car -- and had to search again after prompting from the defense -- many viewers asked me if it's possible the defense planted them. SA Reyerson testified that the car was still sealed.

But the fact that question even needs to be asked will tell you how bad of a look that is for the BCA.

Regardless, all that matters in the trial is what the jury hears. And it was presented to them in the way most favorable to the prosecution.

Agent Reyerson identified moments on the body camera video -- such as the point in which George Floyd stopped talking, etc.

Now Eric Nelson is cross-examining him and starting out showing how many interviews (200 citizens) and how many investigators worked (25 FBI helped)

SA Reyerson acknowledges to Nelson that this case took "twists and turns"... "in part because of what was going on in the city at the time."

Such as, Equipment belonging to Chauvin and other officers being located in other places.

Nelson made a big point of making it clear to the jury the defense could not have planted the drugs.

He also re-iterated the second search happened in January -- and they just didn't notice the drugs earlier.

Nelson played the same clip to Agent Reyerson -- and asked "Did it appear that Mr. Floyd said, 'I ate too many drugs?'"

And Reyerson answered, "Yes it did."

Finally -- the prosecution is addressing the video clip.

They are insinuating that it's out of context because Reyerson didn't hear the officer conversation that occurred beforehand.

But not playing more of the tape.

Now the prosecution played more of the tape, and SA Reyerson said with more context, he actually heard George Floyd say: "I ain't doing no drugs."

At the very end there -- Nelson played a video that shows Morries Hall throwing something. SA Reyerson testified that it is consistent with someone throwing drugs.

It seems the current testimony is mostly preemptive damage control from the state -- in presenting details of the second search of George Floyd's vehicle and the police car. In which they found drugs they didn't collect during the first searches.

Someone please explain to me how the BCA would miss these drugs in a police car. Why would they not collect them?

The current witness is the BCA agent who tested the drugs found in the vehicles.

Next witness (final witness of the day) is Susan Neith NMS labs in Pennsylvania.

I believe the drug chemistry will be important to the state to combat the defense assertion that Floyd died from a drug overdose.