The police officer who killed the African-American George Floyd on May 25, 2020 in Minneapolis is trying from Wednesday January 18 to have his murder conviction overturned during an appeal trial. Derek Chauvin, 46, was found guilty by Minnesota state justice after a high-profile trial in 2021, and sentenced to 22.5 years in prison, including a final sentence of 21 years.
He considers that his rights to a fair trial have been violated, particularly in view of the “advertising” around the folder and “threats of violence” which should have led to a change of scenery for the audiences. If he calls for the reversal of the verdict, Derek Chauvin will remain in prison, regardless of the outcome of this appeal trial, because he pleaded guilty to “civil rights violations” of George Floyd.
He believes he has been “demonized”
In 2021, the trial was held in the twin cities of Minneapolis-Saint-Paul, which were still on edge less than a year after the tragedy. In their request, the policeman’s lawyers recall “the threats” uttered against the jurors, the fear of a new conflagration of the two cities in the event of an acquittal, and the daily local media coverage which “idealised George Floyd and demonized Derek Chauvin”.
They also criticize the court for having refused to organize the hearings in a rural area of the state, or failing that for not having housed the jurors away. According to them, this would have prevented them from discovering, in the middle of a trial, that the city of Minneapolis had decided to compensate, up to 27 million dollars, those close to George Floyd.
They also mention the lies of a juror who had concealed having participated in the demonstrations which followed the death of George Floyd, and accuse the prosecutors of having presented testimony “cumulative”seven police officers and experts on the use of force.