Will Derek Chauvin testify at murder trial?

As the state begins to wind down its case against the former Minneapolis police officer accused of murdering George Floyd last May legal experts are considering whether Derek Chauvin’s defense lawyers will call him to the stand.

Joe Friedberg, a veteran defense attorney, told the Star Tribune that much of the case focuses on Chauvin’s state of mind during the deadly incident. He said the "best person to tell us about that would be Chauvin, so you might really be forced to put him on in this case." The paper pointed out that Eric Nelson, Chauvin’s attorney, has not indicated whether or not his client will testify. Nelson, 46, handles cases ranging from drunken driving arrests to homicides, and is one of a dozen attorneys who take turns working with a police union legal defense fund to represent officers charged with crimes. He has gone hard and consistently at his chief message: that Floyd’s consumption of illegal drugs is to blame for his death, rather than something Chauvin did. An autopsy found fentanyl and methamphetamine in Floyd’s system. Expert witnesses for the prosecution have asserted drugs did not kill Floyd.