Prosecution expert testifies George Floyd did not die from “cardiac event…drug overdose”

Judge Pete Cahill this morning denied the defense’s request to sequester the Derek Chauvin jury in the wake of last night’s deadly shooting in Brooklyn Center and its aftermath. Defense Attorney Eric Nelson argued, “there was some fairly extensive civil unrest that occurred, I would note for the court that we have at least one juror who’s a resident of that particular city [Brooklyn Center].” The defense also argued that the events of last night may put the Chauvin jury more ill at ease, but Judge Cahill said “I think sequestering them would only aggravate that, “oh I heard about the civil unrest and the judge is putting us into sequestration, there must be a great threat to our security.” Judge Cahill said the jury will be sequestered after closing arguments, which could happen next Monday. Also today, Chicago cardiologist Dr. Jonathan Rich testified for the state that in his opinion, “in this case, Mr. George Floyd died from a cardiopulmonary arrest, it was caused by low oxygen levels and those low oxygen levels were induced by the prone restraint and positional asphyxiation that he was subjected to.” The defense is trying to make the case Floyd may have died as a result of a heart condition and drug use, not because of Chauvin’s actions. But today Dr. Rich testified that could “state with a high degree of medical certainty that George Floyd did not die from a primary cardiac event and he did not die from a drug overdose.”