Derek Chauvin in court June 25, 2021, at his sentencing.Photo: ALEX LEDERMAN/AFP via Getty
Derek Chauvin’s attorney has asked a Minnesota appeals court to toss the ex-officer’s murder convictions in the death ofGeorge Floyd.
Attorney William Mohrman spoke before a three-member panel on the Minnesota Court of Appeals on Wednesday and argued that extensive pre-trial publicity made it impossible forChauvin to get a fair trial in 2021, according to National Public Radio.
Mohrman outlined alleged legal errors made during the trial in his brief to the court, theStar Tribunereported.
PEOPLE has reached out to Mohrman for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
A jury found Chauvin guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in 46-year-old Floyd’s death.
George Floyd.
Chauvin, who is white, was recorded with his knee on Floyd’s neck while the Black man pleaded for his life, saying, “I can’t breathe.”
In addition to the conviction in a state court, Chauvin pleaded guilty to a separate federal civil rights charge and was sentenced to 21 years in federal prison, according to the Associated Press.
Chauvin is serving the sentences concurrently in Arizona, the AP said.
Neal Katyal, a special attorney for the state, said Chauvin got “one of the most transparent and thorough trials in our nation’s history,” according to the AP.
“Judge Cahill managed this trial with enormous care, and even if Chauvin could identify some minor fault, any error is harmless,” Katyal said, according to the AP. “The evidence of Chauvin’s guilt was captured on video for the world to see.”
Each party was provided 15 minutes to make their case to the panel, according to the Star Tribune. A lot of time was given to the accusation that one juror allegedly lied during jury selection.
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Brandon Mitchell, a Black man who was then 31, was one of the jurors who convicted Chauvin, the newspaper said. After the verdict, a photo of him at a Washington commemoration of the “I Have a Dream” speech in August 2020 drew criticism, along with potential grounds for an appeal, the newspaper said.
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During jury selection, he reportedly said he had never been in a protest in Minneapolis after Floyd’s death.
“I’d never been to [Washington] D.C.,” Mitchell told theStar Tribuneafter the post surfaced. “The opportunity to go to D.C., the opportunity to be around thousands and thousands of Black people; I just thought it was a good opportunity to be a part of something.”
Even if Chauvin’s appeal is granted, he would still be required to serve his federal prison sentence.
Minneapolis defense attorney Mike Brandt told the AP winning the appeal “would be functionally meaningless.”
The appeals court said it would issue a ruling within 90 days.
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source: people.com
