Three former Minneapolis police officers charged in George Floyd’s death don’t want their trial live streamed because they think some witnesses won’t testify if it’s broadcasted, their attorneys told a judge on Thursday.
According to the Associated Press, Thomas Lane, J. Kueng and Tou Thao had initially wanted to have the trial be publicly broadcasted, but that was before the “worldwide publicity” from Derek Chauvin’s televised trial.
“Cameras in the Chauvin Courtroom brought us to the dangerous pass where people are deterred from testifying for the defense because they fear the wrath of the crowd,” their lawyers wrote.
In June, Chauvin was sentenced to over 20 years in prison for murdering George Floyd.
The three men’s trial begins next in March 2022. They also face U.S. civil rights charges after a federal grand jury found that they violated Floyd’s constitutional rights.