Appeals court says it won't step in to delay Derek Chauvin trial

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Court of Appeals said Friday it will not step in and delay the upcoming murder trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged with murder in the death of George Floyd.

Chauvin is scheduled to go to trial on March 8.

State prosecutors, led by the Minnesota Attorney General’s office, had sought to delay the trial, citing public health risks the proceedings might create during a pandemic. They had argued the trial would be a super spreader event.

Prosecutors had asked the appeals court to step in and delay the trial to the summer, when a single trial could be held with all four defendants charged in the case.

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin will stand trial alone in March

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin will stand trial alone in March in the death of George Floyd, while the three other ex-officers charged in the case will go on trial in late summer.

Chauvin's legal team declined to comment on the appeals court ruling.

Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. The three other officers; Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane; are charged with two counts each of aiding and abetting. They will be tried together in August.

Jury selection in the Chauvin case now just 24 days away.