To your point, it wasn't just a lifetime of taking drugs, it was how much was in his system that night and there is a video of him apparently saying "I ate too many drugs."
I haven't followed the trial closely myself, but some lawyer has here:
https://legalinsurrection.com/2021/04/derek-chauvin-trial-prosecution-problems-ignored-or-misrepresented-in-mainstream-media-open-thread/
The prosecution's presentation has not been great and some of their witnesses have actually helped the defense (according to this commentator), but in the end, I'm dubious that a Minneapolis lib jury is willing to stick their necks out because they will be personally doxxed when this is over. The media reporting of the trial has apparently and, not surprisingly, been very misleading.
Edited by MUTGR at 12:49:51 on 04/10/21