By Joleen Murphy
The murder trial of a former police officer in Minneapolis began yesterday, 10 months since the death of George Floyd.
Derek Chauvin was charged after kneeling on his neck for almost nine minutes.
His death last year sparked large scale Black Lives Matter demonstrations across the world.
Anna Bremner is a lawyer in the US.
She says everyone knows what happened before Mr Floyd took his last breath - but the question for the defence will be what caused that.
"They are saying that he died through other means and basically through heart disease and intoxication.
"That will be the real key in this case when in terms of guilt or innocence."
Speaking yesterday, George Floyd's nephew, Brandon Williams, says it's about getting justice.
"We can't get George Floyd back. But what we can do is make sure that no family feels the pain and suffering that we feel.
"His daughter won't have a Father in her life. His brothers won't have a big brother to love and have protect them in the way they did.
"Someone needs to be held accountable."
Lawyers say the trial of a US former police officer over George Floyd's death will be a "referendum" on how far the country has come in its fight for racial equality.
Before the trial began, the Floyd family lawyer Benjamin Crump responded to claims that the case is difficult.
"If George Floyd was a white, American citisen and he suffered this painful torturours death, no one would say 'this is a hard case'."
Opening statements made in the trial of the former US police officer accused of killing George Floyd and a video of Derek Chauvin kneeling on Mr Floyd's neck has been shown to the jury.
Lawyers defending the former US police officer accused of George Floyd's murder say he was acting exactly in the way he had been trained to.
Eric Nelson, the lawyer defending him, says it's important all the facts are considered.
"Common sense tells you that there are always two sides to a story.
"Common sense tells us that we need to examine the totality of the circumstance to determine the meaning of evidence.
"There is no political or social cause in this court room."
Jerry Black, who's prosecuting, says Mr Chauvin didn't let up.
"You will hear him crying out and you will him cry out in pain.
"You will hear that yourself; 'please, I can't breathe, your knee on my neck.'.
"And you will see at the same time while he is crying out, Mr Chauvin never moved.
"The sunglasses remained undisturbed on his head and it just goes on."
Civil rights leader Reverend Al Sharpton spoke outside the court.
"Chauvin is in the courtroom but America is on trial.
"America is on trial to see if we have gotten to the place where we can hold police accountable if they break the law."
Mr Chauvin has pleaded not guilty to his murder and the trial continues.
Photo of Mural in Belfast, Ireland. Credit: Rossogrpher/Geograph.ie
