Derek Chauvin appeals against conviction and sentence in George Floyd case
24 September 2021, 03:44
Chauvin was convicted earlier this year on state charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
The former Minneapolis police officer convicted of murdering George Floyd intends to appeal against his conviction and sentence.
Derek Chauvin will say the judge abused his discretion or erred during several key points in the case, according to documents filed on Thursday.
Chauvin said he intends to appeal on 14 grounds and, among them, claims Judge Peter Cahill abused his discretion when he denied a request to move the trial out of Hennepin County due to pre-trial publicity.
He also claimed the judge abused his discretion when he denied a request to sequester the jury for the duration of the trial, and when he denied requests to postpone the trial or grant a new one.
Chauvin was convicted earlier this year on state charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Mr Floyd’s death.
He was sentenced to 22 and a half years – a sentence higher than the presumptive 12 and a half years after the judge agreed with prosecutors that there were aggravating factors in Mr Floyd’s death.
Chauvin has also been charged in federal court with violating Mr Floyd’s civil rights when he knelt on the black man’s neck for nearly 10 minutes as Mr Floyd was facedown on the pavement, not resisting and pleading for air, and pleaded not guilty to this.
All the grounds that Chauvin raised in his notice of intent to appeal had been raised previously by defence lawyer Eric Nelson as the case worked its way through the district court.
