Former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin has filed an appeal with the Minnesota Court of Appeals, asking it to throw out his convictions for the murder of George Floyd.
An attorney for Chauvin contended on Wednesday that numerous legal and procedural errors prevented him from having a fair trial.
As Fox News reports:
Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill had sentenced Chauvin to 22 1/2 years after jurors found him guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the May 25, 2020, death of Floyd, whom he pinned to the ground with his knee on Floyd’s neck.
Chauvin later pleaded guilty to a separate federal civil rights charge and was sentenced to 21 years in federal prison. He is now serving that sentence in Arizona concurrent with his state sentence.
Chauvin’s attorney for the appeal, William Mohrman, argued in his brief to the Minnesota Court of Appeals that the pretrial publicity was more extensive than that of any other trial in Minnesota history, and that the judge should have moved the trial elsewhere and sequestered the jury for the duration.
Mohrman wrote that the publicity, combined with riots, the city’s $27 million settlement with Floyd’s family announced during jury selection, the unrest over a police killing in a Minneapolis suburb during jury selection, and the unprecedented courthouse security were just some of the factors prejudicing Chauvin’s chance of a fair trial.
The court of appeals will render its decision within 90 days.
This is a breaking news story. Check back with American Liberty News for the latest updates.
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