Almost 26 years ago on Oct. 3, 1995, an estimated 150 million people watched the live verdict as O.J. Simpson was found not guilty in the double murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. Dubbed the “trial of the century,” it lasted for 11 months and was rife with controversy, and Simpson was acquitted despite a mountain of evidence against him.
As the Derek Chauvin cased unfolded on live television this week, I couldn’t help but think about the differences between the two cases. O.J. was acquitted because he could afford to pay for a dream team of lawyers headed by the late Johnnie Cochran. The closest thing to an eyewitness in that case was Nicole’s pet Akita that showed up that night with its paws drenched with Nicole’s blood.
By contrast millions upon millions of people all over the world have seen the damning video footage of Chauvin kneeling on George Floyd’s neck for in excess of nine minutes until Floyd went motionless underneath the constant pressure. And if the visual images weren’t bad enough, you could hear Floyd crying out for his mother and repeatedly saying that he couldn’t breathe. And it was gut-wrenching to watch witnesses sobbing as they testified in the trial last week.
Originally the reports said that Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds, but prosecutors have amended that time to nine minutes and 29 seconds. But the worst part of it all is that Chauvin continued to kneel on Floyd’s neck for two minutes and 53 seconds after other officers told him that Floyd was nonresponsive.
Let’s take a few minutes out for a quick lesson in murder. First-degree murder is a killing that is premeditated. In this situation the killer knows exactly whom he/she is going to kill and makes plans for how to do it. Second-degree murder is not planned and sometimes happens on the spot. If two men get into a fight at a bar, and one kills the other one, there was no original planned intent to kill. Third-degree murder is recognized only in Minnesota, Florida, and Pennsylvania, and in Minnesota it is defined as follows: “The unintentional killing of another through an eminently dangerous act committed with a depraved mind and without regard for human life. It also includes causing another’s drug-related death by selling, delivering, or administering a Schedule I or II controlled substance.” After the various degrees of murder, the charges drop down to manslaughter. Voluntary manslaughter (AKA a crime of passion) occurs when a guy comes home, finds his wife with another man, and becomes so enraged that he grabs anything (baseball bat, kitchen knife, fireplace poker) that can be used as a weapon and kills the wife’s boyfriend. An example of involuntary manslaughter is when a drunken driver hits another car resulting in the death of the other driver.
All right school’s out, and the lesson is over. Now put yourself in place of one of the jurors. What kind of a verdict would you favor? Before you answer, consider what Chauvin’s attorney, Eric Nelson, plans to use as a defense. In his opening statement, Nelson says that Chauvin did not cause Floyd’s death. Instead Floyd “…died from a combination of drug intoxication, heart disease, and high blood pressure and that adrenaline rushing through his body from his struggle with police ‘acted to further compromise an already compromised heart.’”
It’s going to very interesting to see whether Nelson can convince 12 jurors to vote not guilty the way Johnnie Cochran did in the Simpson case. Of course as we said, the major difference here is that everyone saw Floyd die underneath Chauvin’s knee. Stay tuned.
A Good One
If you happen to remember the 1991 film “The Silence of the Lambs,” you might recall that it’s one of the best thrillers ever released on the big screen. In fact it swept the Academy Awards for best actress (Jodie Foster), best actor (Anthony Hopkins), best director (Jonathan Demme), and best picture. Based upon the novel of the same name, it is the story of how a young FBI agent (Foster) tracks down a mass murderer who is mutilating his victims. It also introduces us to Hannibal Lecter (Hopkins), one of the most frightening villains of all time.
Now there is a new TV series on CBS titled “Clarice.” It is set one year after the events of “The Silence of the Lambs,” and because several bizarre murders have baffled the FBI, the agency brings a reluctant Clarice (Rebecca Breeds) out of retirement to help with the investigation. The only problem is that some demons from her last case still plague her, and she must deal with them as well as an all-male team headed by the chauvinistic Paul Krendler (Michael Cudlitz). This is an above-average network series featuring excellent acting, fascinating storylines, and some really eerie effects. It has been on for only five weeks, and you can easily catch up with CBS on demand. Enjoy!
Death at the Capitol
On Friday afternoon a motorist drove his car into a barrier at the US Capitol, killing one capitol police officer and sending the other one to the hospital. After slamming his car into the barrier, the motorist leapt from car wielding a knife. One officer was stabbed, but before the perpetrator was shot and killed, he killed Officer William “Billy” Evans, an 18-year veteran of the force. At this writing, police were attempting to establish a motive after ultimately identifying attacker as Noah Green, a 25-year-old native of Indiana.
As If He Doesn’t Have Enough On His Plate
President Biden’s two dogs recently were in the news again. A report said that Major bit another victim, but the wound was only superficial apparently. The next incident was that either Champ or Major allegedly decided to leave a message in the form of a deposit in the hallway near the Diplomatic Reception Room. Maybe these dogs are sending a message that strangers aren’t welcome in the White House and that living there is pretty crappy.
Ponder This:
If the singular of GEESE is GOOSE, shouldn’t a Portuguese person be called a Portugoose? ~George Carlin
