When Dr. Martin Tobin took the stand on April 8 during Derek Chauvin’s murder trial, his calm demeanor was striking. The pulmonologist, wearing a red tie and glasses, spoke softly.
His testimony came after days of emotional witness statements. Before Tobin, the jury had heard from police officers, other medical experts and eyewitnesses to George Floyd’s murder.
As Tobin spoke, his testimony hit home with the many in the courtroom. ABC’s Alex Perez said members of the jury were “captivated.”
Brandon Mitchell, a 31-year-old member of the jury, told CBS’s Gayle King that Tobin’s testimony was vital in Chauvin’s conviction. Mitchell said Tobin’s explanation of the science behind his testimony made his exhibits and statements easy for jurors to understand.
ABC, CBS and NBC reported on how the jury followed Tobin’s detailed account of how Floyd died. Tobin said Floyd’s death resulted from a low level of oxygen.
He pointed to moments in the video of Floyd’s death where Chauvin’s boot wasn’t touching the ground. Tobin said this proved almost all of Chauvin’s weight was on Floyd’s neck.
“To understand the knee on the neck, you need to examine your own necks, all of you here in the jury, like I’m doing now,” Tobin said.
His interaction with members of the jury signaled that his testimony could be a game changer for those on the fence — and solidified the minds of those leaning towards a guilty verdict.
The networks showed Tobin explaining how Floyd’s actions seen in the video, such as lifting a leg or clenching a fist, showed he was struggling to breathe.
Tobin added that the video showed exactly when Floyd died, pausing the footage on the moment Floyd closed his eyes — emphasizing that Chauvin’s knee remained on his neck 3 minutes and 27 seconds after his last breath.
“A healthy person subjected to what Mr. Floyd was subjected to would have died,” Tobin said.
CBS showed the video without alteration during Tobin’s testimony. That was an exception to its policy of blurring images of Floyd’s death. ABC showed the image of Chauvin’s knee on Floyd’s neck during the package. But while Tobin spoke, both ABC and NBC focused on Tobin’s face out of sensitivity to viewers rather than on his exhibit.
Tobin’s testimony didn’t falter during cross-examination.
“He was emphatic; it was the officer’s actions that killed Floyd, nothing else,” Perez said.
Tobin dismissed claims that drugs contributed to Floyd’s death and said someone’s ability to speak at one moment doesn’t prove they can breathe in the next. Days later, Tobin was called back to the stand to discredit the defense’s argument yet again. He said claims of carbon monoxide poisoning involved in Floyd’s death were “simply wrong.”
His quiet yet straightforward demeanor left no room for debate, again proving him to be a star witness.
Mitchell said that for many members of the jury, including himself, Tobin’s testimony sealed the deal.
“I didn’t think there was any way for the defense to come back after that,” Mitchell said. “To me, the case was done at that point.”
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