In an interview with The Times, a lawyer for Lane laid out what he said would be a central argument for the defense.

“None of these guys — even Chauvin — actually killed him,” said the attorney, Earl Gray. “He killed himself.”…

The veteran criminal defense attorney said he will base his case on toxicology and autopsy reports as well as recently released police body camera footage that offers a fuller picture than the cellphone videos taken by people on the street…

“This is not a slam dunk for the prosecution and not an easy case, especially for the higher-degree homicide charges,” said Philip Stinson, a Bowling Green State University criminologist and former cop who studies police misconduct. “If this case goes to trial and an officer testifies on his own behalf, it is possible there is reasonable doubt there for jurors.”