George Floyd’s Killer Wants US Supreme Court To Overturn 2021 Conviction

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is preparing to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review his second-degree murder conviction in the George Floyd case, since the Minnesota Supreme Court declined to hear it, NBC News reported.

Chauvin’s one-page petition was denied by the state’s high court without comment, meaning his more-than-22-year sentence will stand. Chauvin’s attorney, William Mohrmann, said their appeal comes from the idea that the proceedings in Minneapolis deprived the former police officer of a fair trial due to publicity of the case and concerns of violence in the event of an acquittal, including Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill’s decision not to move the trial out of the city.

“This criminal trial generated the most amount of pretrial publicity in history,” Morhmann said. “More concerning are the riots which occurred after George Floyd’s death and led the jurors to all express concerns for their safety in the event they acquitted Mr. Chauvin.”

The Minnesota Court of Appeals rejected these arguments back in April and the state’s attorney general’s office asked the Supreme Court to let that ruling stand instead, saying “it is time to bring this case to a close.” In fact, during Chauvin’s sentencing, Judge Cahill wrote that the case warranted a harsher sentence, according to CNN, claiming Chauvin “abused his position of trust and authority,” treating the victim “without respect and denied him the dignity owed to all human beings.”

Nationwide protests erupted in 2020 after body camera and bystander video of Floyd’s final moments were released, showing Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck and back for more than nine minutes. Floyd was heard gasping for air and told officers, “I can’t breathe.” On top of his second-degree murder charge, Chauvin was found guilty of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter charges. His two-decade sentence went past Minnesota’s sentencing guideline range of 10 years and eight months to 15 years.

Chauvin is currently serving his time in Arizona concurrent with state charges after pleading guilty to separate federal civil rights charges where he was sentenced to 21 years.