Why did Derek Chauvin refuse to testify in court regarding George Floyd's murder?

Question

Hi. I learned recently the former cop who killed George Floyd is on trial for Floyd's murder. Why did Chauvin refuse to testify regarding the murder? Is he trying to keep himself from going to jail? I think he is making things worse on himself by not testifying. He needs to MAN UP and come clean about WHY he killed Floyd. People have seen the surveillance videos - Chauvin clearly suffocated Floyd to death and Floyd told him several times he couldn't breathe. Bystanders watched Chauvin suffocate Floyd to death and some even pleaded with Chauvin to get off of Floyd.

I am curious about this. Please help. Thank you.

Answer 1

Because there was no defense for what he did.

The prosecutions evidence is pretty irrefutable.  What could he say to defend kneeling on the man's neck

continuously for 9 minutes and 29 seconds until he stopped moving.  4 minutes of that was 

AFTER HE WAS DEAD.

How many times did they say "use of force" and 

"REASSESSING  the situation"?  Clearly there was no "reassessing" on his part if the guy was dead for 4 mins.

Answer 2

The dumbest thing anyone could ever do is testify at their own criminal trial, even if they are the most innocent man in human history. 

Answer 3

Probably he has a lot to hide.

Answer 4

As not to incriminate himself. 9 minutes & 29 seconds with someone putting a knee on your airway is hard to defend.

Answer 5

Strategically speaking, every witness called has to be weighed in terms of what positive evidence they bring for your side vs. what it allows the other side to bring in. If Chauvin testified that would give the prosecution the ability to bring up everything Chauvin has ever done. They would go through every mistake he ever made in his career, every parking ticket he's gotten and the grades he made in 3rd grade. I guarantee at least 1 of their 14 lawyers has spent the last 10 months preparing for the possibility of Chauvin testifying. He would probably be on the stand for at least a week. That's not how the defense would want to end the trial. 



So, I don't see that he brings much positive evidence to the case but it would bring a lot of negatives.  Maybe, if the defense was losing they might call him but the way this trial is going that would be dumb, 



So it was purely a strategic decision. 

Answer 6

This falls under:



Anything you say CAN and WILL be used against you. Pleading the 5th Ammendment ( choosing to remain silent)protects people from self incrimination.



Even criminals have rights.

Answer 7

It is every defendant's right to not be a witness against themselves by subjecting themselves to cross-examination.

Answer 8

If you have ever had the experience of being in court then you know that an experienced prosecutor can turn things around on you with each statement you make. Hence making you seem guilty when you’re not.

Answer 9

I believe the great President Trump claimed that if you ever have to plead the 5th that you are guilty. 

Answer 10

Here's one opinion.

Answer 11

The burden is on the state to prove he committed a crime. He is not obligated to prove he is innocent. That is a right provided in the Fifth Amendment. 

Answer 12

Because an apology never brought a dead person back to life? 

Answer 13

If he testifies he can be cross examined.  The cross examination could be so damaging that nothing he could say would balance that risk.

Answer 14

Because he had a good lawyer.



  Unless every word coached and every anticipated question's response also coached by his atty; he would be at the mercy of experienced  prosecution  that can take one word and use it to legally self-convict him. Foolish to ever take that stand unless UR a lawyer, yourself.

Answer 15

Because there is NO defense for a cold blooded murderer and he KNOWS he is GUILTY!

Answer 16

He, like any other criminal defendant, has the right to remain silent.  It's not his job to convince them that he's not guilty; the prosecution has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he is guilty.  If you can't convince the ENTIRE jury one way or the other, you get a hung jury and start over.  In some places the judge includes instructions that the jurors are SPECIFICALLY warned not to give any evidentiary weight to the lack of testimony by the defendant.  He has the right to not incriminate himself, and to not have that right used against him. 

The cited quotes of Donald "Duckman" Trump are simply idiotic. Anyone with a bit of common sense knows that even INNOCENT people should never speak to the police about a crime or testify (under oath) in their own criminal trial.

Answer 17

The guilty always take the 5th

Answer 18

Because there is nothing he can say that the lynch mob will accept. His trail is basically a public execution for the ignorant Democrats in Minnesota to desperately try and appease the angry "urban persuasion". 



He followed department policy and did what he was trained to do with regard to the knee technique.  The amount of time doesn't matter.  And anyone who acts as though the drugs in Floyd's system, reportedly enough fentanyl to "kill an elephant", didn't result in his death, is being silly. 

Answer 19

Mr. Chauvin, please explain why you kept your knee on Mr. Floyd's neck and failed to administer first aid when he said he couldn't breathe? 

Answer 20

Because everything he said would incriminate him.

Answer 21

Two minutes and the prosecution would have torn him to bits

Answer 22

Because his lawyer knows he would be subject to cross-examination if he did.

And that it would likely hurt him more than help him.