Derek Chauvin to Appeal Conviction in Death of George Floyd

Fired Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin will appeal his conviction on charges in the murder of George Floyd, according to a court filing.

The Associated Press reports:

Chauvin said he intends to appeal on 14 grounds. Among them, he claims Judge Peter Cahill abused his discretion when he denied Chauvin’s request to move the trial out of Hennepin County due to pretrial publicity. He also claimed the judge abused his discretion when he denied a request to sequester the jury for the duration of the trial, and when he denied requests to postpone the trial or grant a new one. Chauvin was convicted earlier this year on state charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd’s 2020 death. He was sentenced to 22 1/2 years – a sentence higher than the presumptive 12 ½ years after the judge agreed with prosecutors that there were aggravating factors in Floyd’s death.

Footage filmed by a bystander showed Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for roughly 10 minutes as a handcuffed-Floyd told officers that he could not breathe.

Chauvin stated that he presently does not have a lawyer assisting him with the the appeals process, nor does he possess an income outside of his prison wages. The former officer also said he has no assets aide from a pair of retirement accounts.

The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association’s legal defense funded his defense in the Floyd case, but will not be involved in the appeals process. “I have been informed that their obligation to pay for my representation terminated upon my conviction and sentencing,” Chauvin wrote, according to the affidavit.

The state attorney general’s office has not issued a statement regarding the matter.

The development comes after the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled Minneapolis voters can decide on dismantling the city’s police department in its upcoming elections.

“The decision of the district court filed on September 14, 2021, granting the petition of respondents’ Don Samuels et al., to correct the ballot, requiring local election officials to provide notice instructing voters not to vote on the ballot question, and enjoining local election officials from tallying, counting or in any way considering votes cast on the ballot question, is reversed,” the decision concluded.