Page 37 - Florida Sentinel 5-7-21

Derek Chauvin Asks For New Trial After Conviction
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, (cen- tre), was found guilty of sec- ond- and third-degree murder and manslaughter last month in the killing of George Floyd.
A lawyer for former Min- neapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in the United States has requested a new trial, two weeks after Chauvin was found guilty of second- and third-degree murder and manslaughter in the killing of a Black man, George Floyd. In a document filed to District Court Judge Peter Cahill on Tuesday, Eric Nelson said the ex-officer was deprived of a fair trial, citing alleged pros- ecutorial and jury misconduct, errors of law at the trial and that the verdict was contrary to law.
“The publicity here was so pervasive and so prejudicial before and during this trial that it amounted to a struc- tural defect in the proceed- ings,” Nelson wrote in the motion, as reported by broad- caster CNN.
Chauvin’s conviction on April 20 after a widely watched trial in Minneapolis, Min- nesota, had been welcomed by activists as well as U. S. politi- cians, who said it was an im- portant step forward in the fight for racial justice in the U.
S.Floyd’smurderonMay25th last year was captured on cam- era and led to mass protests across the U. S. and around the world, with thousands taking to the streets to demand an end to police violence against Black people.
Chauvin, who was filmed with his knee on Floyd’s neck for nine minutes and 29 sec- onds, faces at least 75 years in
DERRICK CHAUVIN AFTER CONVICTION
factors sought by the prosecu- tion. His sentencing has been set for June.
After news broke that Chau- vin is seeking a new trial, Floyd family lawyer Ben Crump tweeted: “No. No. No. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty.”
During the trial, Nelson had argued that the jurors could be influenced by the
news surrounding the trial, in- cluding comments by politi- cians on what might happen as a result of the verdict.
Judge Cahill had rejected those arguments but asked ju- rors to avoid watching the news. The jury was se- questered after the closing ar- guments were made in the case.
prison – and potentially more
if the judge finds aggravating
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