Derek Chauvin is requesting a new trial and is getting ready to appeal his conviction over the murder of George Floyd.
Last June, Judge Peter Cahill sentenced the former Minneapolis Police Officer to 22 ½ years for the murder. He was found guilty of third-degree murder, second-degree manslaughter, and unintentional second-degree murder.
It has been reported that Chauvin is asking the Minnesota Court of Appeals in hopes that a new jury will overturn the conviction, have his case sent back to Hennepin County, or have a new trial in a new venue.
William Mohrman, Chauvin’s attorney, listed several issues with his client’s conviction including that the trial should have been moved to another location because of the large amount of press coverage, and the way witnesses were treated and claimed that the jurors were intimated the protestors.
The documents also state that it was prosecutorial misconduct that played a part in Chauvin not receiving a fair trial.
Derek Chauvin’s appeal comes days after the state of Minnesota criticized the police department for a “pattern or practice of race discrimination in violation of the Minnesota Human Rights Act.”
What are your thoughts on this? Do you think that Derek Chauvin should get a new trial?