The courtroom was silent as the verdict was read, pool reporters inside, including CNN’s Josh Campbell, noted.
Derek Chauvin appeared to be in a daze while waiting for the jury to arrive and was staring at the empty jury seating area, Campbell reported. He snapped out of it after a few seconds when his attorney, Eric Nelson, spoke with him.
At one point, Chauvin turned to look at Philonise Floyd, George Floyd’s brother, who was praying, the pool reporters noted.
Philonise Floyd waited for the verdict in the courtroom with his head bowed and hands clasped. He appeared to alternate between praying, looking up towards Chauvin, and looking down praying again.
As the first guilty verdict was read, his hands began shaking while clasped. They became shakier during the second verdict and during the third, his hands were shaking back and forth with his eyes closed as his head nodded up and down.
After the court concluded, Philonise was seen crying as he hugged all four prosecutors, Campbell observed. Prosecutor Steve Schleicher’s eyes were also red as he wiped away tears.
"I was just praying they would find him guilty. As an African American, we usually never get justice,” Philonise told Campbell after the verdict.
In court, the seat reserved for Chauvin’s family was occupied by a middle-aged white woman with long brown hair and glasses who declined to give her name to reporters.
When Chauvin was remanded into custody, the bailiff told him “Mr. Chauvin, please place your hands behind your back.”
He handcuffed the former Minneapolis police officer’s left hand, then his right, the pool reporters observed. The handcuffs were not double locked in the courtroom.
After reading the verdicts, Judge Peter Cahill confirmed with each of the jurors that the three guilty convictions were correct.
The foreperson, juror 19, signed each of the verdict slips. He is a white male in his 30s who works as an auditor, according to information shared during jury selection.
As the verdict was read, there was no noticeable emotional reaction from the jury, Campbell noted. Whereas during trial, they each had their own idiosyncrasies, they remained still and quiet staring at the judge until they were called upon by the judge.
“I have to thank you on behalf of the people of the state of Minnesota for not just jury service but heavy-duty jury service,” Cahill told the 12 jurors.
