Chauvin juror lied during jury selection about attending protests

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A juror in the Derek Chauvin murder trial is defending his attendance at the March on Washington anniversary last August in light of online speculation about his motives on the jury.

In recent days, a photo of Brandon Mitchell that was originally posted on social media around the Aug. 28 event commemorating Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech began circulating online and on multiple news sites. Many online questioned his motive and its potential to fuel a possible appeal in Chauvin's case

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The matter is likely to be cited by Nelson as one of many bases for an appeal, said a local law professor and defense attorney who are not involved in the case.

"If [Mitchell] specifically was asked, 'Have you ever participated in a Black Lives Matter demonstration,' and he answered, 'No,' to that, I think that would be an important appealable issue," said Joseph Daly, emeritus professor at Mitchell Hamline School of Law.

The picture shows Mitchell, 31, standing next to two of his cousins in Washington D.C. He is wearing a black T-shirt with a picture of King surrounded by the words, "GET YOUR KNEE OFF OUR NECKS" and "BLM" (Black Lives Matter).

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Mitchell said that he answered "no" to two questions in the juror questionnaire sent out before jury selection that asked about participation in demonstrations.

The first question asked, "Did you, or someone close to you, participate in any of the demonstrations or marches against police brutality that took place in Minneapolis after George Floyd's death?"

The second one asked, "Other than what you have already described above, have you, or anyone close to you, participated in protests about police use of force or police brutality?"

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