L&C Report: Attorney for One Officer in George Floyd Case Says Threats and Vandalism are Reasons to Move Trial

Bernarda Villalona, former Sr. Homicide Prosecutor/Trial Attorney and Mike Koribanics, a Law&Crime Legal Analyst, Criminal Defense Attorney,  join Bob Bianchi to discuss this headline case as well as other legal news.

In the George Floyd case, defense attorneys for the former officers involved in Floyd’s death want to move the trial to another county. They cite harassment, vandalism, and threatening behavior by protestors as reasons for why the trial cannot be conducted in Minneapolis. Villalona points out that the only reason a trial can change venue is if they are unable to procure a fair and impartial jury. At this stage, we can’t know if this is the case. Balancing the right to protest with the right to a fair trial can be tricky in such a high profile case that has deeply divided the opinions of many.

In other news, Harvey Weinstein faces 6 more sexual assault charges in Los Angeles including forcible rape and forcible oral copulation. Koribanics points out that this can be draining both emotionally and financially. One must wonder if fighting these cases is an exercise in futility given Weinstein’s age and the fact that he already faces a 23-year sentence in NY.

The latest on the Breonna Taylor case is the Grand Jury indictment of one officer for wanton endangerment. The panel discussed not only the indictment but the comments of the Attorney General of Kentucky. It seems apparent to the panel that there are discrepancies between what the Attorney General says took place with the Grand Jury and what they were actually instructed to review.

The panel also discusses some of the legal headlines involving the case against Joel Guy who murdered his parents reportedly due to being financially cutoff. Guy will serve life in prison. Villalona questions why the death penalty was not saught given the brutality of the murders and the torture that took place leading up to their murders. Koribanics speculates that death penalty was likely avoided in order to create closure for the family sooner rather than later.

Other cases discussed are a Texas woman who was sentenced to 54 months in prison for stealing millions of dollars of products over several years and the kidnapping of Joe Montana’s child.