When the arrest proceedings against Derek Chauvin began shortly after lunch, local time, the court had to decide whether the evidence holds a charge for the specific degree of murder or manslaughter for which prosecutors accuse the policeman. He was then officially charged with manslaughter, reports the AP.

Three crime suspects

George Floyd's family has demanded that the policeman be prosecuted for murder, which is not considered likely, as prosecutors would then also have to prove intent and motive.

When Derek Chauvin was arrested at the end of May, it was instead accused of neglecting another's death. Since then, prosecutors have added two different felony suspicions of manslaughter. If convicted, he can be sentenced to 40 years in prison.

"Not glass clear"

The video showing the intervention against Floyd is an important piece of evidence in the case, but according to experts, a conviction is not clear.

- This is not a given thing. Prosecutors have a lot of points they need to tie together, and if there is only one question mark around one of them, it may be reasonable doubt, says attorney Mike Brandt to the AP News Agency.

Several obuctions

The fact that two different autopsies have been carried out, with partly different results, opens the defense to claim that Floyd's health was a factor in his death.

"I suspect there may be a third autopsy as well, which would mean that the experts' words are against each other," Minnesota Attorney Thomas Heffelfinger told local television station Kare11.

All will be prosecuted

The indictment concerns the police officer who, for eight minutes and 46 seconds, pressed his knee against George Floyd's neck, an incident captured on the video that spread across the world and was the igniting spark of major police violence demonstrations in recent weeks.

The court put his bail at between $ 1 and 1.25 million (SEK 9.2–11.5 million).

Prosecution is also waiting for the three other police officers who participated in the intervention on May 25. The indictments differ from the initial indictment, but if convicted, they can also be sentenced to 40 years in prison. All four police officers have been dismissed from the police department.