The fate of the man accused of killing George Floyd is close to being realised

Derek Chauvin's defence team is giving their closing arguments in court.

The nine minute and 29 second video showing the former police officer kneeling on the black man's neck, sparked Black Lives Matter protests around the world.

US Correspondent Anna Burns Francis says Derek Chauvin appears to be trying to show the jury a more human face.

She says he's sitting without a mask, not taking many notes and spending a lot of time looking around the room.

For the second-degree murder charge to stick, 12 jurors will have to agree it's been proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Chauvin committed a felony, in this case assault, that was a substantial cause in Floyd's death.

They do not have to find that Chauvin intended to kill Floyd.

Minnesota sentencing guidelines call for a sentence of up to 15 years for someone such as Chauvin with no prior convictions.