One of the twelve jurors that convicted Derek Chauvin for second-degree murder of George Floyd had been caught lying about his whereabouts in his timeline.
Brandon Mitchell posted on social media that he was attending a protest in Washington, DC when he initially stated that he had never been to a protest.
He later acknowledges that he was at the event and that a relative had posted the photo, yet the clothes he wears are not his. Before the jury selection, he answered “no” to questions about demonstrations that were on the questionnaire, which now alters whether it will be brought up on Chauvin’s appeal.
There have been questions being raised on the impartiality of one of the jurors during the murder trial of George Floyd.
In the picture it shows that he is wearing a shirt that has Martin Luther King Jr on it, originating from his “I Have A Dream” speech that took place in Washington DC. On the shirt, a text around says “GET YOUR KNEE OFF OUR NECKS” and “BLM,” alongside a cap that has “Black Lives Matter” printed on it.
Because of the revelation at hand, this could help Derek Chauvin and his appeal that he has been working on. Mitchell, one of the twelve jurors that convicted Chauvin, is the first juror to go public and speak about the trial to official news sources and outlets.
He stated that he’s “never been to DC. The opportunity to go to DC, the opportunity to be around thousands and thousands of black people; I just thought it was a good opportunity to be a part of something.”
Minneapolis defense attorney Mike Brandt tells sources that although this has been discovered, it’s not enough to turn over Derek Chauvin’s conviction, but it gives leeway to be combined with other issues such as the civil settlement to Floyd’s family, the shooting of Daunte Wright, the judge’s refusal to move the trial, and so forth.
The questions that Mitchell answered no to are as follows:
“Did you, or someone close to you, participate in any of the demonstrations or marches against police brutality that took place in Minneapolis after George Floyd’s death?”
“Other than what you have already described above, have you, or anyone close to you, participated in protests about police use of force or police brutality?”