George Floyd Murder: Derek Chauvin Conviction Affirmed by Appeals Court

The appeal for a new trial of Derek Chauvin, one of the suspects in George Floyd's murder case, was rejected by the Minnesota Court of Appeals on Monday.

Three judges on the Minnesota appeals court have upheld the murder conviction of Chauvin, a former police officer who knelt on Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes.

According to Law & Crime, Chauvin appealed on several grounds. Some of his legal team's arguments include that the trial should have been moved out of Minneapolis due to publicity surrounding the case.

The former police officer also argued that a juror's comments during jury selection showed that the jury was prejudiced against him. However, the three judges disagreed and affirmed Chauvin's murder conviction.

Presiding Judge Peter Reyes and judges Elise Larson and Roger Klaphake noted that Chauvin had failed to show that the jury was prejudiced against him as a result of publicity surrounding the case during the pretrial.

Reyes wrote in the court's ruling that police officers "undoubtedly have a challenging, difficult, and sometimes dangerous job." However, Reyes noted that "no one is above the law."

The judges also considered a statement of a juror, who said the state's police are more likely to practice force against Black people. The juror added that "Blacks and other minorities" do not get the same treatment as "Whites in the criminal justice system."

Derek Chauvin Asking For New Trial

In March, a lawyer defending Derek Chauvin explained why his client's convictions in George Floyd's murder case should be overturned.

William Mohrman argued that the pretrial publicity made it impossible for Chauvin to acquire a fair trial in 2021. According to NPR, Mohrman said that aside from the pretrial publicity, there is also physical pressure on the courthouse.

Former Acting U.S. Solicitor General Neal Katyal argued that Chauvin's trial is "one of the most transparent and thorough" in U.S. history.

Katyal noted that the arguments before the appeals court "do not come close" to reversing the conviction. He added that even if they did, the evidence of "Chauvin's guilt was captured on video" for everyone to see.

George Floyd Murder Case

Derek Chavin was sentenced in 2021 to 22 and a half years after a jury found him guilty of murdering George Floyd.

The jurors convicted Chauvin of second-degree murder and third-degree murder, as well as second-degree manslaughter. Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill delivered the sentence.

Daily Mail reported that Chauvin earlier pleaded guilty to a separate federal civil rights charge and was sentenced to 21 years in federal prison, which he is now serving.

Chauvin was transferred from the state prison to a federal prison last year. The latter was considered a far safer and less restrictive place to serve his sentence.

The former police officer also did not offer any apology to Floyd's family present in the courtroom. However, he wished Floyd's children "all the best in their life."

Chauvin also hoped Floyd's children would have "excellent guidance in becoming good adults." Other police officers involved in Floyd's fatal arrest in May 2020 were J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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