Derek Chauvin's Defense Claims Floyd Died From Drug Overdose

Opening arguments got underway yesterday in the George Floyd trial, and prosecutors started to lay out their case against former officer Derek Chauvin.

Prosecutor Jerry Blackwell played video shot by a bystander of the fatal arrest, saying he wanted jurors to see first-hand what happened. Chauvin "put his knee upon his neck and his back, grinding and crushing him” until George died.

He said the officer "didn't let up" even after Floyd said he couldn't breathe 27 times. He said is went on for 9 minutes and 29 seconds.

Chauvin’s defense attorney said the evidence in the case is "far greater than 9 minutes and 29 seconds.” He argued that Floyd had underlying medical conditions and drugs in his system "that compromised an already compromised heart.”

The prosecutor told jurors the medical examiner found no evidence of a weak heart. He said OD victims are "not screaming for their lives, they're not calling for their mothers, they're not saying 'Please, please, I can't breathe,' that's not what opioid overdose looks like.”

Chauvin is charged with unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and manslaughter.