WITH
WITH ALL
WITH ALL OF THE NEW FACES IN THE COURTROOM. SO WE THOUGHT
WE WOULD GIVE YOU SOME
BACKGROUND ON THE ATTORNEYS
AND THE JUDGE OVERSEEING
THE CASE HERE .
>> SHARON , BEFORE THE TRIAL
PROGRESSES ANY FURTHER, WE WANT
TO LET YOU KNOW ABOUT THE KEY
PLAYERS IN THIS TRIAL,
JUDGE PETER CAHILL. THIS IS HIS
14TH YEAR ON THE BENCH
IN HENNEPIN COUNTY. JUDGE CAHILL
WAS HAND SELECTED BY
THE COUNTY'S CHIEF JUDGE
TO OVERSEE THIS TRIAL PRIOR
TO HIS TIME ON THE BENCH.
HE SPENT HIS CAREER DOING YEARS
OF PRIVATE PRACTICE. HE WAS ALSO
THE TOP DEPUTY TO AMY KLOBUCHAR
WHEN SHE WAS THE COUNTY ATTORNEY
AND HAS ALSO SERVED AS
CHIEF JUDGE AS WELL . THE WORLD
GOT TO KNOW JUDGE CAHILL
A LITTLE BETTER DURING JURY
SELECTION. HE WAS BEING
COMPASSIONATE AND KIND TO THE
POTENTIAL JURORS AS FORMER HEAD
PROSECUTOR MARY MORIARTY NOTED
LAST WEEK, HE IS GIVING
THEM PERMISSION TO BE HONEST
AND EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENED, WHICH
IS WHAT YOU WANT. NOT ALL JUDGES
ARE THAT WAY, BUT I THINK HE'S
DOING A GOOD JOB OF PUTTING
THE JURORS AT EASE, WHICH
HOPEFULLY MEANS THEY FEEL MORE
COMFORTABLE SHARING INFORMATION.
>> THERE HAVE BEEN MOMENTS WHERE
HE HAD LOST PATIENCE. ON THE
SECOND DAY OF THE TRIAL, HE WAS
SEEN REPRIMANDING EYEWITNESS
FIREFIGHTER GENEVIEVE HANSEN
FOR THE WAY SHE ANSWERED DEFENSE
ATTORNEY ERIC NILSSON'S
QUESTIONS.
QUESTIONS. >> YOU'LL NOT ARGUE WITH HELP.
THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO ASK
QUESTIONS.
QUESTIONS. >> YOUR JOB IS TO ANSWER. I WAS
FINISHING MY ANSWER.
>> I WILL DETERMINE WHAT YOUR
ANSWER IS DONE. ERIC NELSON.
ERIC NELSON IS FORMER
MINNEAPOLIS POLICE OFFICER ERIC
CHAUVIN'S ATTORNEY. HE GRADUATED
FROM THE MITCHELL HAMILTON
SCHOOL OF LAW IN NINETEEN NINETY
EIGHT. PRIOR TO THIS TRIAL,
HE WAS BEST KNOWN FOR DEFENDING
AMY SENCER BACK IN 2012, SENCER
,THE WIFE OF A FORMER MINNESOTA
VIKING, WAS SENTENCED TO FORTY
ONE MONTHS IN PRISON FOR A HIT
AND RUN HOMICIDE OF A CHEF.
NELSON IS A FOUNDING PARTNER AT
HALBERG CRIMINAL DEFENSE
AND WHILE IT APPEARS HE IS
OFFENDING CHETKOVICH ALONE, USA
TODAY REPORTS NELSON HAS A TEAM
OF LAWYERS AND FUNDING FROM
THE MINNEAPOLIS POLICE AND PEACE
OFFICERS ASSOCIATIONS LEGAL
DEFENSE FUND. THE GROUP IS
REPORTEDLY ALSO PAYING FOR UP
TO A DOZEN OTHER ATTORNEYS WHO
ARE WORKING THE CASE BEHIND
THE SCENES. MATTHEW FRANCK.
MATTHEW FRANCK IS THE ASSISTANT
ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR THE
STATE OF MINNESOTA AND HAS SPENT
21 YEARS WITH THE AG'S OFFICE.
HE GRADUATED FROM THE MITCHELL
HAMLYN SCHOOL OF LAW. HE'S
A PART OF THE PROSECUTION.
HE MOST RECENTLY WON A CASE
AGAINST 58 YEAR OLD LOIS REESE,
A MINNESOTA WOMAN WHO ENDED
UP GETTING LIFE IN PRISON
FOR KILLING HER HUSBAND IN 2018.
REECE'S CASE GAINED NOTORIETY
BECAUSE SHE FLED MINNESOTA AFTER
THE KILLING OF HER HUSBAND
KILLED ANOTHER WOMAN IN FLORIDA
AND ASSUMED HER IDENTITY BEFORE
SHE WAS CAPTURED. JERRY
BLACKWELL. JERRY BLACKWELL IS
ALSO PART OF THE PROSECUTION
AND IS A SPECIAL ATTORNEY
FOR THE STATE . BLACKWALL GREW
UP IN KANNAPOLIS, NORTH
CAROLINA, ATTENDING COLLEGE
AND LAW SCHOOL AT THE UNIVERSITY
OF NORTH CAROLINA. HE IS ALSO
THE FOUNDER OF THE MINNESOTA
ASSOCIATION OF BLACK LAWYERS.
BLACKWELL IS KNOWN FOR WINNING
A POSTHUMOUS PARDON FOR MAX
MASON, WHO WAS WRONGFULLY
CONVICTED OF RAPE IN CONNECTION
TO THE DULUTH LYNCHINGS OF 1920.
BLACKWELL DELIVER THE OPENING
STATEMENTS ON THE FIRST DAY
OF THE TRIAL, LEADING HIS
STATEMENT BY SHOWING
THE ENTIRETY OF THE NOW FAMOUS
CELL PHONE VIDEO OF CHAUVIN'S
ON GEORGE FLOYD'S NECK. HE THEN
HIGHLIGHTED THE IMPORTANCE
OF NINE MINUTES AND 29 SECONDS
AND PREDICTED THE NUMBERS
RECURRENCE DURING THE TRIAL.
STEVE KALSCHEUR ALSO ON THE
PROSECUTION SIDE AS STEVE
KALSCHEUR. HE ALSO GRADUATED
FROM THE MITCHELL HANDMAN SCHOOL
OF LAW. HE SERVED 13 YEARS AS AN
ATTORNEY AT THE U.S. ATTORNEY'S
OFFICE IN MINNESOTA. HE IS BEST
KNOWN FOR HIS PROSECUTION
OF DANNY HEINRICH, WHO CONFESSED
TO THE KIDNAPING AND MURDER
OF 11 YEAR OLD JACOB WETTERLING
IN 2006. ERIN ELDRIDGE ERIN
ELDRIDGE IS AN ASSISTANT
ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR THE OFFICE
OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
IN MINNESOTA. SHE JOINED
THE AG'S OFFICE IN 2018 AND USED
TO BE A FORMER
FEDERAL PROSECUTOR.
FEDERAL PROSECUTOR. >> ELDRIDGE GRADUATED FROM
THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA LAW
SCHOOL AND WAS