Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis police officer convicted of killing 46-year-old George Floyd in 2020 outside the Cup Foods store, is requesting a new trial. The former officer reportedly responded to a complaint that the 46-year-old father tried to use a counterfeit 20-dollar bill at a nearby coffee shop. During the arrest, Chauvin knelt on George's neck for approximately 9 minutes after handcuffing him—a bystander recorded the entire assault.
Despite George calling out for his mother and continuously saying that he couldn't breathe, the former officer kept his knee on Floyd's neck until he became lifeless.
Chauvin and his fellow officers at the scene were fired, and the medical examiner ruled Floyd's death a homicide.
After his death, nationwide riots, and protests ensued. Chauvin was sentenced to 22.5 years in state prison for second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. He was also sentenced to 21 years in federal prison for violating Floyd's civil rights. He's now serving his federal sentence in Arizona and is expected to be released in 2038.
Chauvin was denied a new trial in the murder of Floyd by the Minnesota Court of Appeals in April 2023, and the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Chauvin's appeal of his murder conviction in November 2023. The Minnesota Supreme Court denied his request to review the case in July 2024. Yet, the former Minneapolis officer's legal team has yet again requested a new trial.
According to Fox News, "U.S. District Court Judge Paul Magnuson on Monday ordered that Chauvin's lawyers be allowed access to Floyd's heart tissue and histology slides, photographs of his heart and samples of Floyd's bodily fluids, as his legal team is investigating the possibility that Floyd died from a heart condition and not Chauvin's actions." However, the Department of Justice disapproves of the judge's decision to allow Chauvin's legal team to examine his heart samples.
The former officer's new legal team also contends that Chauvin didn't receive a fair trial.
George Floyd's death left the nation in an upheaval. In August, Chauvin was stabbed 22 times in prison. Soon after, Chauvin was transferred from an Arizona prison to a federal facility in Oklahoma City.
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