Derek Chauvin Appeals George Floyd Murder Conviction
Derek Chauvin is asking the Minneapolis Court of Appeals to overturn his conviction for the 2020 murder of George Floyd.
CNN reports that the former Minneapolis police officer filed his appeal on Monday (April 25), listing more than a dozen aspects of the case and trial that his attorneys argue tainted the proceedings and rendered them “structurally defective.” Among them include extensive pretrial publicity and protests outside the courthouse, as well as the city’s announcement during jury selection that it would pay a $27 million settlement to Floyd’s family.
Chauvin and his attorney, William Mohrman, are also reportedly asking the appeals court to review whether the venue should have been changed and/or trial delayed because of pretrial protests and media coverage. Additionally, the appeal accuses prosecutors of misconduct, alleging the state’s attorneys failed to properly disclose discovery information and adequately prepare prosecution witnesses.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison’s deputy chief of staff, John Stiles, told CNN that prosecutors will "save our comment for our reply in court to Mr. Chauvin's appeal."
The appeal comes just over a year after Chauvin was sentenced to 22 ½ years in prison after being found guilty on all counts of murder and manslaughter. He and the other officers accused in Floyd’s case are set to stand trial in a federal civil rights case. However, last December, Chauvin pleaded guilty in the federal civil rights case, according to CBS Minnesota.
Chauvin, along with three other former Minneapolis officers, Tou Thao, Thomas Lane, and J. Alexander Kueng, was indicted by a federal grand jury, accusing them of depriving Floyd, 46, of his rights while exercising the authority of a government agency. Floyd died on May 25, 2020 when, in an attempt to arrest him, he was pinned to the ground under Chauvin’s knee for nearly nine minutes.
Chauvin pleaded guilty to federal civil rights charges in December 2021. Thao, Lane and Kueng were convicted in February of federal civil rights violations.
