Derek Chauvin is escorted by a police officer on Sept. 11, 2020. Photo: David Joles/Star Tribune via Getty Images
The Minnesota Court of Appeals on Monday rejected former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin's petition to throw out his 2022 conviction for the murder of George Floyd.
The big picture: Video of Chauvin using his knee to pin down Floyd as he cried that he couldn't breathe ignited widespread protests in 2020 over racism and police brutality.
A Hennepin County jury found Chauvin guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in April 2022. Judge Peter Cahill sentenced him to 22.5 years in prison.
Context: Chauvin filed an appeal last year, arguing that he was unable to get a fair trial due to media coverage and the threat of protests.
The state, which handled the prosecution, countered that moving the venue wouldn't have made a difference given national coverage of Floyd's death.
Of note: Chauvin is currently serving a separate, 21-year federal sentence for violating Floyd's civil rights. He pleaded guilty in that case.
Traditional_Mud_1241 on April 17th, 2023 at 18:57 UTC »
I’m glad he had a right to appeal.
And I’m glad he lost the appeal.
ElfinViability on April 17th, 2023 at 16:23 UTC »
I hope in America these days your conviction can be upheld if you kneel on a man's neck until he's dead.
AudibleNod on April 17th, 2023 at 16:19 UTC »
++++
Tangentially, Donald Trump is trying to use this same reasoning to get a delay for his civil case. I really like how the "we live in a society" defense isn't carrying any weight.