12th Man said:
12th Man said:
Hawg, is the reason the State has levied so many related charges against Chauvin a case of the prosecution simply hoping that something will stick? I've heard of, say, felony assault accompanying a trespassing charge, but never have I seen multiple descending murder charges accompanied by a manslaughter charge.
Sorry for the repost, but I'm keen to understand this- a little concerned that the purse fight that ensued overnight after I originally posted it may have hidden it from view.
Yes and no. In this case the Black community was clamoring for a "murder" charge. So the Hennepin County Prosecuting Attorney accommodated them. But he also had some doubts about whether the charges would hold up in court, so he added lesser included offenses which is not unusual. In fact lesser included offenses can be added even during trial, if warranted and the jury is so instructed.
But ultimately, AG Ellison took the case away from Hennepin County and added more charges.