Image source, Reuters

The prosecution against Chauvin was long and complex. Over 11 days, prosecutors drew on expert testimony, medical analysis and hours of video footage to make their case.

We’ve boiled the prosecution’s case down to three core arguments, which they drilled home to the jury throughout the trial.

1) Chauvin didn’t follow his training

Chauvin "chose pride over policing", prosecutors said. They tried to prove that Chauvin "betrayed his badge" because his treatment of Floyd did not reflect his formal training in use of force and crisis intervention.

2) Floyd died from a lack of oxygen

Floyd died from a lack of oxygen because the force Chauvin applied to his neck during his arrest constricted his breathing, prosecutors said. They questioned an intensive care doctor, Martin Tobin, who said Floyd's ability to expand his chest to breathe was severely impaired while on the ground.

3) Watch the video

"Use your common sense… believe your eyes," the prosecution told jurors. Prosecutors repeatedly showed the viral video of Chauvin kneeling on Floyd for more than nine minutes. “What you saw, you saw," prosecutor Steve Schleicher said.

As we await the verdict, here's a look back at the most critical exchanges from 14 days of testimony and 45 witnesses in the trial.

Twelve men and women are deciding whether to convict or acquit Derek Chauvin.

The panel were chosen from a pool of eligible citizens in the state of Minnesota.

But what do we know about them?

Six are white, four are black and two are multiracial. Seven are women and five are men.

The jurors came from different backgrounds, ranging in age from their 20s to their 60s.

The oldest member to be picked was a black grandmother in her 60s who said she had stopped watching the video of Floyd's death because "it just wasn't something I needed to see". She said she used to live 10 blocks from where Floyd died.

The trial was televised, but jurors were not shown on camera at any time.

Their identities are supposed to remain anonymous for their safety.

Read more here

Image source, AFP

George Perry Floyd Jr was a 46-year-old black man who, at the time of his death, had been living in Minneapolis, Minnesota, for several years.

He moved there from Houston, Texas, where he grew up.

He had been working as a bouncer in Minneapolis, but like millions of other Americans was left jobless by the coronavirus pandemic.

His life was one of ups and downs.

As a teenager in Houston he played American football for the 1992 Texas state champion runners-up Yates High School Lions.

And he faced setbacks, such as his 2007 arrest for robbery that led him to serve five years in prison.

Floyd died in Minneapolis on 25 May 2020.

Read more about the man whose death sparked an outcry across the US.

The jury has been deliberating for less than a day on whether to convict or acquit Derek Chauvin of three charges.

The former officer has been charged with second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

Here's a breakdown of what that all means.

1) Second-degree murder

This is the most serious charge. It will require prosecutors to prove that Chauvin was assaulting Floyd when he caused his death. Chauvin could face up to 40 years in jail if convicted on this count.

2) Third-degree murder

To convict on this charge, the jury must be convinced that Chauvin showed a reckless disregard for human life. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 25 years.

3) Second-degree manslaughter

For the final charge, prosecutors will try to demonstrate that Chauvin took an “unreasonable risk” when he restrained Floyd, putting him at risk of death or serious harm.

With the manslaughter charge, prosecutors do not need to prove Chauvin actually caused Floyd’s death. Someone found guilty of this charge may be sentenced to up to 10 years in jail.

The jury has just reached a verdict in the murder trial of Derek Chauvin over the death of George Floyd on 25 May 2020.

Chauvin faces three charges: second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter. To be found guilty of any of these requires a unanimous decision from the jury.

We'll keep you updated with the latest in court and on the ground with analysis from our correspondents.

Image source, Getty Images

We're pausing our live coverage for the day.

The defence and the prosecution have both concluded their arguments. The court is now in recess and will remain that way until the jury comes back with a verdict.

To convict Derek Chauvin on any of the three charges - second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter - they'll need to be unanimous.

Looking for more in the meantime?

• Watch the key moments from 14 days of testimony
• Answers to your questions about the Chauvin trial
• A closer look at Derek Chauvin - the former police officer on trial for murder

Judge Cahill has rejected a last-gasp attempt by Chauvin’s defence lawyer to declare the trial invalid because of media coverage and comments made by a member of Congress.

Chauvin’s lawyer Eric Nelson suggested remarks made by Democratic representative Maxine Waters over the weekend may have influenced the jury.

Waters spoke in Brooklyn Center, a suburb of Minneapolis, on Saturday, telling protesters: "We’ve got to get more confrontational."

If there is no guilty verdict, Waters said, "then we know that we got to not only stay in the street, but we have got to fight for justice”.

In court, Nelson described Waters’ comments as “threats against the sanctity of the jury process."

“There’s a high probability that members of the jury have seen these comments,” Nelson said.

“Now that we have US representatives threatening acts of violence in relation to this case - it’s mind boggling to me.”

In response, Judge Cahill said: “I give you that Congresswoman Waters may have given you something on appeal that may result in this trial being overturned.”

The judge said he wished “elected officials would stop talking about this case, especially in a manner that is disrespectful to the rule of law”.

"Their failure to do so is abhorrent," he said.

However, he said Waters’ “opinion really doesn’t matter a whole lot” and therefore dismissed Nelson’s motion for a mistrial.

We asked Americans what they found most compelling during the trial.

Curtis is a community activist who went viral last year for his impassioned message about the generational injustices African Americans have suffered. He is now running for city council in his hometown of Charlotte.

Every moment when an officer of the law got up there and testified against Chauvin was a moment of great bravery for themselves and for the departments that they serve.

People wanted to see if the police chief and all these other officers were going to hold this man accountable for what he did, and I believe all of those moments were very significant. Lt Mercil and other police in uniform said that the force was unnecessary and that's what he's on trial for: he killed this man for no reason.

We asked Americans what they found most compelling during the trial.

A retired police lieutenant who spent 34 years on the force in two states, Randy trained law enforcement for over three decades and now works to assist injured and disabled officers.

The testimony that George Floyd had no carotid artery damage was very compelling to me. This would indicate that he was not suffocated via the neck. And the evidence of the fentanyl in the back seat of the car was also an indicator that he was in fact on fentanyl as the autopsy showed. Fentanyl causes severe breathing difficulties.

It’s pretty frustrating to be a police officer or a police veteran these days. It is guilt presumed before innocence, which is backwards to how the United States was established to be in its delivery of justice. Recruitment of officers is down, and is in crisis. Who would want to be a police officer under these conditions? Not many.

Earlier we showed you what some of the witnesses called by the prosecution said during the trial.

Now, here’s some of the testimony given by witnesses summoned to the stand by Chauvin’s defence team.

David Fowler

Fowler, a forensic pathologist who was chief medical examiner for the state of Maryland until his retirement in 2019, said the cause of Floyd's death was not clear.

He was questioned about the findings of the Hennepin County medical examiner, who ruled Floyd's death a homicide.

"I would fall back to undetermined, in this particular case," Dr Fowler testified.

Image source, Reuters

Peter Chang

The Minneapolis Park Police officer responded to the scene of Floyd's arrest and said the crowd of bystanders was "very aggressive to the officers".

"Did that cause you any concern?" defence lawyer Nelson asked him.

"Concern for the officers' safety, yes," Chang replied.

Image source, Reuters

Barry Brodd

The use-of-force expert said "the imminent threat" posed by Floyd was a major factor in his detention.

"I felt that Derek Chauvin was justified and acting with objective reasonableness following Minneapolis police department policy and current standards of law enforcement in his interaction with George Floyd," he said.

Brodd's former home in Santa Rosa, California, was vandalised early on Saturday. Unidentified suspects smeared the property with animal blood and left a decapitated pig’s head near the front porch, police said.

Read more here

Image source, Reuters

As the jury begins its deliberations, here's a reminder that they are weighing three charges against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin: second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

Here's a breakdown of what that all means.

1) Second-degree murder

This is the most serious charge. It will require prosecutors to have proved that Chauvin was assaulting Floyd when he caused his death. Chauvin could face up to 40 years in jail if convicted on this count.

2) Third-degree murder

To convict on this charge, the jury must be convinced that Chauvin showed a reckless disregard for human life. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 25 years.

3) Second-degree manslaughter

For the final charge, prosecutors will try to demonstrate that Chauvin took an “unreasonable risk” when he restrained Floyd, putting him at risk of death or serious harm.

With the manslaughter charge, prosecutors do not need prove Chauvin actually caused Floyd’s death. Someone found guilty of this charge may be sentenced to up to 10 years in jail.

As the trial draws to a close, the mood in Minneapolis is tense as the city and the nation await the verdict.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Watch the most critical exchanges from 14 days of testimony and 45 witnesses in the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin over the killing of George Floyd.

The judge has sent the jury out to consider their verdict after giving them more step-by-step instructions.

The jury will select a foreperson to help guide their deliberations. Their verdict must be unanimous.

"I cannot give you a trial transcript," Judge Cahill says. "We count on the jury to rely on its collective memory. You have been allowed to take notes and you may take those notes with you into the jury room."

As he said earlier today, Judge Cahill again tells the jury to "disregard" anything from a lawyer that was contrary to their own recollections.

Judge Cahill stresses the jury must rely on facts, not their own impressions or opinions.

"We all have feelings, fears, stereotypes about others," he says. "No matter how unbiased we think we are, our brains are hardwired to make unconscious decisions."

Resist the urge to come to a verdict based on any of these biases, Judge Cahill says.

"Members of the jury, this case in your hands," he says.

In his final statement to the jury, prosecutor Jerry Blackwell focused mostly on the arguments from defence attorney Eric Nelson, providing a direct rebuttal.

Here's a look at his key arguments:

• Reasonable force: Blackwell dismissed assertions from the defence that Chauvin acted as any "reasonable" officer would in applying force. Not so, Blackwell argued. The force Chauvin applied was "deadly" and continued even after paramedics showed up. "How is that what a reasonable officer does?" Blackwell asked.
• An unruly crowd? The defence said that the bystanders added to the chaos of the day, and contributed to Chauvin's decision making. "You've gotten to meet them now," Blackwell said of the crowd that day. They were upset because they saw life being taken, he says, they were not acting as an angry mob.
• Drugs? Blackwell also took issue with the argument that Floyd's death was related to his drug use. The defence had noted a pill found in Floyd's car. "Why are we talking about pills we know were not in George Floyd?" Blackwell said. He said it was "nonsense" that Floyd could have ingested drugs while in police custody.

And while the defence argued that Floyd's heart condition may have contributed to his death, Blackwell dismissed this as well.

"The reason Mr Floyd is dead is because Mr Chauvin's heart was too small," he said.

Chauvin's three-week trial has heard from 45 witnesses and seen hours of video footage filmed by bystanders.

Here is a reminder of what some of those witnesses said in court.

Courteney Ross

Floyd's girlfriend provided some of the most emotional testimony of the trial.

She described their first meeting in the lobby of a Salvation Army homeless shelter, where Floyd worked as a security guard.

Ross was waiting to see the father of her son, and she said Floyd asked her to pray with him, a memorable and "sweet" gesture at a time when she "had lost a lot of faith in God".

Image source, Reuters

Christopher Martin

The teenage shop clerk, who said he believed Floyd unknowingly paid for cigarettes with a fake $20 bill, told the court he was grappling with feelings of guilt.

Martin, 19, said he had been living in the building above Cup Foods, but moved after the incident and stopped working there.

"I didn't feel safe," the teen said.

Image source, Reuters

Donald Williams

Williams, a security guard and former wrestler trained in mixed martial arts, was heard in the viral video of Floyd's arrest calling the officers "punks" and "murderers".

Williams alleged he witnessed Chauvin use a "blood choke" to cut off the airway, and a "shimmy" hold to keep up the pressure on Floyd.

He said he watched Floyd's life "fade away, like a fish in a bag".

Read more here

Image source, Court TV

Image source, Getty Images

All of Minneapolis' public schools will move to remote learning this week ahead of the verdict in Derek Chauvin's trial.

"Our community is moving through an extraordinarily challenging time," the district's superintendent Ed Graff wrote in a notice last week, noting both the Chauvin trial and the recent police killing of 20-year-old Daunte Wright in the suburb of Brooklyn Center.

Wright had also attended the Minneapolis public school system.

From Wednesday to Friday all in-person learning will be suspended. The district will then "re-evaluate" plans based on the trial's schedule, Graff said.

Image source, Getty Images

George Floyd's death last May after his encounter with Derek Chauvin sparked global protests over perceived police brutality.

So what do police officers think? The BBC spoke with officers from across the country to ask them.

"It's the chickens coming home to roost," one said. "This is something that's been mustering for a while."

But officers are divided over if and how reforms should come about.

Read more about what they said.

Civil rights activist Reverend Al Sharpton joined members of George Floyd's family for a public prayer as closing arguments continued inside the court.

Sharpton prayed for a "resurrection with this jury so that people can know that justice can happen".

George Floyd's brother Rodney Floyd also spoke, thanking members of the press for their coverage and the gathered activists for their support.

Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, also spoke.

"Today it is not Minnesota versus all police," she said. "It is about Minnesota versus Derek Chauvin. And in the words of George Floyd’s daughter: 'My Daddy will change the world.'"