MINNEAPOLIS — One of the most important witnesses in the murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is expected to take the stand Friday, prosecutors said, capping off a long week of highly technical legal and medical testimony.
Last year, Dr. Andrew Baker, the Hennepin County chief medical examiner, ruled George Floyd's death a homicide. He said Floyd's heart and lungs stopped amid "law enforcement subdual, restraint and neck compression."
A family-commissioned autopsy released around the same time found Floyd's death was a homicide caused by "asphyxiation from sustained pressure."
Baker's testimony will be key to prosecutors, who say Floyd was killed by Chauvin's knee on his neck for more than nine minutes. The defense argues Floyd died as a result of the drugs in his system and underlying medical issues.
Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd's death.
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Latest updates:
- Court was expected to resume at 9:15 a.m. CST Friday.
- Jurors have heard from 33 witnesses so far – all called by the prosecution.
- A medical expert in the physiology of breathing said Thursday the way Floyd was restrained — handcuffed behind his back, face-down on the ground, with a knee on his neck — prevented him from breathing properly and caused his death. Another, a police surgeon, said Floyd didn't overdose or have a heart attack.
- A forensic toxicologist who analyzed George Floyd's blood and urine told jurors Thursday the amount of meth in Floyd's system was consistent with a prescribed dose – a "very low" amount.
Doctor testifying for prosecution says 'what Mr. Floyd was subjected to' would kill a healthy person
Dr. Martin Tobin, a physician who has been working in respiratory physiology for 40 years, testified Thursday that Floyd died from a "low level of oxygen," which caused damage to his brain and an abnormal heartbeat. Tobin was called as an expert witness by prosecutors and examined records and video in the Floyd case, but he did not conduct an examination of Floyd's body.
Tobin said he watched videos of Floyd's arrests "hundreds of times" and found Chauvin's left knee was on Floyd's neck for the majority of the time. The combination of Floyd being handcuffed behind his back, the officers' manipulation of the cuffs, and the pavement beneath Floyd combined to interfere with Floyd's ability to breathe, Tobin testified.
The overall effect of the restraint was almost "as if a surgeon had gone in and removed the lung," he said, referring to Floyd's left lung. "A healthy person subjected to what Mr. Floyd was subjected to would have died as a result of what he was subjected to," Tobin said. Read more about his testimony here.
