Speaker 1: Floyd's drug use playing a central role the prosecution, arguing
Speaker 1: Floyd did not die of a drug overdose because he
Speaker 1: built a tolerance struggling with an addiction for years. Prosecutors
Speaker 1: also argued Floyd's behavior in the video was not consistent
Speaker 1: with someone overdosing and passing out. Rather, a video show
Speaker 1: Floyd being killed while unarmed in police custody. His size.
Speaker 1: There were five grown, been armed police officers who were
Speaker 1: on the scene over a fake twenty dollar bill. Chauvin's
Speaker 1: defense hit back, saying Chauvin was following his training. Kneeling
Speaker 1: on Floyd's neck. Derek Chauvin did exactly what he had
Speaker 1: been trained to do over the course of his nineteen
Speaker 1: year career. The defense painted Floyd as a criminal drug
Speaker 1: abuser who resisted arrest, saying Floyd took a lethal amount
Speaker 1: of drugs a speedball and fell asleep in his car
Speaker 1: outside of Cup Foods. He did not comply with police
Speaker 1: and ended up on the ground because through former officers
Speaker 1: could not contain him. What was Mr Floyd's actual cause
Speaker 1: of death? The evidence will show that Mr. Floyd died
Speaker 1: of a cardiacorhythmia. Oh boy, so did he die? Basically
Speaker 1: of a drug overdose or did he die because of
Speaker 1: the knee on his neck? Is that the argument? Wow,
Speaker 1: that could well be the argument. And let's bring in
Speaker 1: a special guest to discuss that and more. Leo Terrell
Speaker 1: as the civil rights attorney Fox News contributor host of
Speaker 1: the podcast Leo Torrell, America's fair minded civil rights attorney. Leo,
Speaker 1: how are you, sir man? Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1: I'm fine, I just came back from Minneapolis, but I'm
Speaker 1: glad to be on your show to talk about this
Speaker 1: very hard, difficult, unusual and national impact case. Well, it
Speaker 1: is that, and I just want to say personally, I've
Speaker 1: really appreciated your commentary on it so far because to
Speaker 1: to try to whip people up on one side or
Speaker 1: the other as opposed to all approaching this as Americans
Speaker 1: want to make sure everybody's civil rights are available to them,
Speaker 1: I just think it's dangerous and it's ugly. I think
Speaker 1: you're right, and let me be very clear, I think
Speaker 1: what the attorney Benjamin Crump did and Alice Sharpie at
Speaker 1: the head yesterday outside the courthouse was an insult to
Speaker 1: the rule of law. This case is being tried inside
Speaker 1: a courtroom, not in the court of public opinion. I'll
Speaker 1: let the facts play out in the courtroom. But I
Speaker 1: think what they did yesterday was an insult. Coupled with
Speaker 1: the fact that they announced a civil settlement, they did
Speaker 1: nothing more than try to influence the jury pool. I
Speaker 1: found it disgusting. Is it gonna come down to did
Speaker 1: he die of a drug overdose or was the need
Speaker 1: the cause? Is that really going to be the whole
Speaker 1: the whole thing. I think that will be a major
Speaker 1: significant factor. And I think the second part will be
Speaker 1: whether or not the use of force was in police policy,
Speaker 1: and that is going to be the battle of the expert.
Speaker 1: You're gonna have a battle of the experts on the
Speaker 1: medical causation and a battle of the expert on police
Speaker 1: tactics and trainee. Those are gonna be the two key
Speaker 1: significant issues that the jury will have to decide. Leah,
Speaker 1: what were your impressions of the opening statements yesterday? Well,
Speaker 1: I'll tell you right now. In my opinion, I thought
Speaker 1: the prosecution is very clear they're gonna rely on the
Speaker 1: nine minute video where the defendant officer is kneeling on
Speaker 1: Jorge floyd neck. My suggestion is do not overplay it
Speaker 1: because you will numb the jury. A law Rodney King
Speaker 1: first trial, you overplay, you numb the jury. I think
Speaker 1: that if the prosecution focuses just on that video, they're
Speaker 1: going to leave out other significant facts. A law of
Speaker 1: the defense, the defense wants to show the jury the
Speaker 1: totality of everything and how George Floyd was acting prior
Speaker 1: to the kneeling on his neck, and I think as
Speaker 1: a juror, I want to know all the facts. All
Speaker 1: the defense has to do is kid one jury to say,
Speaker 1: you know what, I don't see beyond the reasonable doubt. Therefore,
Speaker 1: I'm gonna hang up this jury and you're gonna have
Speaker 1: a mistrial. So I'll tell you right now. Pressure all
Speaker 1: on the prosecution. I also believe they overcharged the case.
Speaker 1: Oh really go into detail on that. Why do you
Speaker 1: think so? Because a second degree murder case charge which
Speaker 1: they have against the officer imply some form of intent.
Speaker 1: And if I'm the prosecutor, I'm I mean, if I'm
Speaker 1: the defense attorney, I would put the Derrick Chaven on
Speaker 1: the witness stands. I never intended to kill this man,
Speaker 1: and I think the second degree murder charge I think, well,
Speaker 1: they politically motivated charge to please a certain segment of
Speaker 1: the country, and I think it's overcharging. I think involuntary manslaughter,
Speaker 1: you want to get a conviction, you don't overcharge. And
Speaker 1: I think that the second degree murder charge asked for
Speaker 1: too much of a mental intent on the part of
Speaker 1: this officer to kill George Floyd. I don't believe he
Speaker 1: had the middle intent to kill George Floyd. You know,
Speaker 1: we can certainly go back to the particulars of the trial, Jack,
Speaker 1: if you'd like to in a minute. But Leo, as
Speaker 1: long as you mentioned that, we're talking to Leo Terrell,
Speaker 1: civil rights attorney hosted the podcast Leo Torrell, America's fair
Speaker 1: Minded civil rights Attorney. We're pretty concerned that given some
Speaker 1: of the race baiting and the whipping of people up um,
Speaker 1: that if there is an acquittal or even a hung jury,
Speaker 1: American cities are gonna burn. There's gonna be a lot
Speaker 1: of violence. Is that an unfounded fear or do you agree?
Speaker 1: You're a trillion percent correct? I think regardless of the outcome, uh,
Speaker 1: in celebration of a charge of a conviction, a hung jury,
Speaker 1: a mistrial, an acquittal, you're gonna have city Bernie, You're
Speaker 1: gonna have a Democratic Cities Burnie, because I know this
Speaker 1: sounds crazy that it seems to me that the allegation
Speaker 1: of racism white supremacy has been utilized to the advantage
Speaker 1: of a particular political party. I don't want to mention
Speaker 1: any party the Democrat and I think it's been played
Speaker 1: up to a point where it's it's thrown out there automatically, automatically,
Speaker 1: and I find it. I find him insulting as a
Speaker 1: self right's attorney. Uh, and I find it uh also
Speaker 1: insulting because and that was the reason why I left
Speaker 1: the Democratic Party. Well, they al Sharpton crowd outside the
Speaker 1: court house yesterday they said this trial is about putting
Speaker 1: the entire American justice system on trial. So of course,
Speaker 1: you know, you make the stakes that big, and you're
Speaker 1: you're setting a scene for a lot of mayhem. Unfortunately,
Speaker 1: hey are they I'm concerned they're not gonna be able
Speaker 1: to keep the the jurors identities secret, and you know,
Speaker 1: if any of their names get out, they're gonna be
Speaker 1: fearing for their lives. I'm afraid. I think you're correct.
Speaker 1: I think this jury should have been sequestered. I mean,
Speaker 1: you look at what the Shenanigans, Al Sharpton and bankrupt
Speaker 1: did yesterday. How the world are you gonna keep these
Speaker 1: jurors protected from the social media that's out there bombardi
Speaker 1: the entire world on this case. The entire world is
Speaker 1: watching this case, it's being televised, and this jury was
Speaker 1: not sequestered. Shame, Shame on the jury system, on the
Speaker 1: criminal justice system. This jury should have been shielded from
Speaker 1: the Alice Sharptons, from all the court of public opinion
Speaker 1: that's out there that's going to be bombarding them for
Speaker 1: the next six or seven weeks. Leo Terrell is a
Speaker 1: civil rights attorney and host of the podcast Leo Terrell,
Speaker 1: America's fair minded civil rights Attorney. Leo, I hope we
Speaker 1: can stay in touch because we really value people like
Speaker 1: you who actually are trying to protect people's civil rights
Speaker 1: and trying to improve the country as opposed to tearing
Speaker 1: it apart. So great to talk to you, sir, Thank
Speaker 1: you very much. I find an honor to be on
Speaker 1: your program. Please feel free to call me again. We
Speaker 1: will stuff right there.