Chauvin defense rests without putting him on the stand

Hennepin County Government Center
(Image credit: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin will not testify in his murder trial, as his defense rested its case on Thursday without testimony from the defendant.

Chauvin told the judge he would invoke his Fifth Amendment right not to take the stand. He is facing murder and manslaughter charges over the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man who died while Chauvin placed him under arrest in May 2020.

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Prosecutors presented their case for two weeks, arguing Chauvin's knee on Floyd's neck ultimately killed him, and that Chauvin wrongfully used excessive force even after Floyd stopped resisting. The defense argued over the course of two days that Floyd's underlying health conditions and drug use were to blame for his death. Closing arguments will begin Monday morning.

Read more at The Associated Press.

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