Criminal Case: State of Minnesota v. Derek Michael Chauvin

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Criminal Case: State of Minnesota v. Derek Michael Chauvin
The case under analysis is still quite famous and continues to attract attention from all over the world. When Derek Chauvin knelt on George Floyd's neck on the 25th of May 2020, he did not know that his actions would attract the entire world's attention. However, as soon as the video of him kneeling on the neck of George Floyd hit the internet, almost all nations of the world were up in arms in protest. People from all walks of life protested peacefully against police brutality that was evidently getting out of hand.
What are the crimes the person is being accused of in a court of law? What are the elements of each of these crimes?
Derek Chauvin was accused of killing George Floyd. Three charges were brought against him, including the second-degree murder charge, third-degree murder charge, and the second-degree manslaughter charge.
The second-degree murder charge is one that is brought against someone who kills another person without the intention of killing them. However, the offender's actions will only qualify as second-degree murder charges if they are adjudged to have killed a person unintentionally while in the process of committing another crime. So, even though the murder is unintentional, an offender is found guilty because they were committing another felony. Therefore, their actions are deemed apt for a second-degree murder charge. For Chauvin, he did fit the profile because even though he was not intentionally trying to kill George Floyd, he was kneeling on his neck, which is unconventional. The kneeling shows that he was indeed trying to inflict harm on George Floyd, and though inadvertent, he ended up killing him in the process.
On the other hand, the third-degree charge is one that involves unintentional murder. The difference with the second-degree murder charge is that the offender was not trying to commit another crime. However, the murder fits the third-degree murder charge because the actions of the offender show no regard for human life. In the State of Minnesota v. Derek Chauvin, Chauvin's actions do fit the profile of this charge because it could be argued that he was only trying to restrain George Floyd. However, the act of kneeling shows no regard for human life, and hence the guilty verdict.
Lastly, according to the Minnesota Statutes (2020), the second-degree manslaughter charge is brought about by the offender's "culpable negligence." To fit the profile, one must be actively trying to cause bodily harm to another person or death. In the case at hand, Chauvin does fit the profile because his action of kneeling on George Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes was indeed an action that created an unreasonable risk to Floyd and ultimately led to his death.
What type of defense did the accused have in a court of law? What types of defenses could the accused have raised in a court of law? Explain each.
According to Levenson (2021), the accused's defense was made up of three arguments. These arguments included the "other causes theory, the force is unattractive theory, and the hostile crowd theory." The defense attorney tried to argue each of these three as he sought to get Chauvi...