Derek Chauvin tells court he will not testify; murder trial recesses until Monday's closing arguments - Minneapolis Star Tribune
Derek Chauvin said in court Thursday that he will not testify in his murder trial shortly before the defense said it has completed its case and the prosecution reiterated the same, setting the stage for closing arguments and deliberations Monday.
Chauvin said he understood that any decision to testify was his alone and neither the state nor the court can equate silence with guilt.
Asked this time by the judge whether this was his decision, Chauvin said, "It is, your honor.".
David Fowler, who said that carbon monoxide from a nearby police squad may have played a role in Floyd's death.
He said autopsy results showed Floyd's blood had an oxygen saturation level of 98%, meaning, "all there was for anything else was 2%." Tobin noted that humans normally have anywhere from 0 to 3% of carbon monoxide in their blood at any given moment.The prosecution had intended to produce Thursday as evidence test results that specifically measured the carbon monoxide in Floyd's blood.However, Nelson objected, saying the state knew months ago that Fowler would testify about carbon monoxide, and he called it "incredibly prejudicial to the defense" to present the test results after Fowler has already left the state.
Cahill ruled that Tobin could testify about how carbon monoxide could have affected Floyd, but not mention the test results, which were dug out Wednesday by Dr.Cahill said that he too noted that Fowler would testify about carbon monoxide, and the state had sufficient notice to test samples "and dig a little deeper.".David Fowler also testified that the manner of death was "undetermined" due to a combination of factors — including police restraint and carbon monoxide poisoning from a nearby squad car — that could point in multiple directions.