Three things for April 20
1. Derek Chauvin found guilty
On Monday, the murder case against former officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd went to the jury. On Tuesday, minutes after 5 p.m., the jury announced the verdict. Chauvin, 45, was found guilty.
The jury was sequestered and deliberated for a total of 10 hours over a period of two days.
The defense contended that the now-fired white officer acted reasonably, and the 46-year-old Floyd died of a heart condition and illegal drug use, reports AP News. Prosecutors argued that Chauvin’s actions were unnecessarily violent, and he acted in a way that even a child knew was wrong.
Chauvin was convicted on all charges, including second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
2. Walter Mondale, former vice president, dead at 93
Walter F. Mondale, the former vice president of Jimmy Carter, died on Monday in his home in Minneapolis. Kathy Tunheim, a spokeswoman for the family, announced his death. She did not specify a cause.
Mondale was a champion of liberal politics, activist government and civil rights, according to the New York Times. Throughout his career, Mondale advocated for the federal government to intervene on behalf of the poor, minority groups and women.
He ran as the Democratic candidate for president in 1984 and lost to President Ronald Reagan in a landslide.
“I’m a liberal or a progressive,” Mondale said in an interview in 2010. “I didn’t use the ‘liberal’ word much because I thought it carried too much baggage. But my whole life, I worked on the idea that government can be an instrument for social progress. We need that progress. Fairness requires it.”
3. Texas police arrest former deputy sheriff after triple homicide
Police in Austin, Texas, arrested a former deputy sheriff wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of three people at an apartment complex on Sunday.
After determining the incident was domestic rather than an active shooter situation, police launched a manhunt for the suspect.
Austin’s interim Police Chief Joseph Chacon identified the suspected gunman as 41-year-old Stephen Broderick, a former detective for the Travis County Sheriffs Office. Last June, Broderick was placed on administrative leave after being charged with sexual assault of a child, reports Reuters.
Broderick was arrested after a 20-hour manhunt by the same agency that once employed him, the Travis County Sheriff’s Office.
Broderick is accused of killing three people, including his wife and daughter. Police identified the victims as Willie Simmons III, 18, Alyssa Broderick, 17 and Amanda Broderick, 35.
This is a developing story. Check The Washington Post for live updates.
