On May 25, 2020, George Floyd was killed in what has been considered one of the worst demonstrations of police brutality in recent years. The video, which went viral, spiraled huge demonstrations around the world amid the pandemic, and his name has become a symbol of racial injustice. Today, the main responsible for his demise is in prison, but yesterday, the former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has filed an appeal in his conviction.
Chauvin was convicted in April of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter, and sentenced to 22 years and 6 months in prison. According to the former police officer, he was denied a public defender for his representation, being this the main reason for his appeal. He listed other “irregularities” in his case.
After his detention, he was represented by the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis who also covered the expenses of his trial. However, after the conviction, they stopped representing him. Chauvin is still facing a federal civil rights case of events similar to Floyd’s involving a teen in 2017, to which he pleaded not guilty.
According to Joe Tamburino, one of the attorneys affiliated with his case, it’s very unusual that Chauvin filed the appeal himself and not his trial attorney. He added “he’s been denied a public defender. He’s in prison … for the next 22-plus years […]. I don’t know why that was denied.”
Derek Chauvin also declared he has no money left other than the nominal prison wages any prisoner makes, for what Judge Peter Cahill, the judge who presided over Chauvin’s trial, has granted him the status of “pauper.” This means he’s exempt from paying court and filing fees.
Among the irregularities, Chauvin listed on his appeal include the court’s denial of a request for a change of venue, discretion abuse, sequestration of the jury, prosecutorial misconduct, biased jury selection, limited admission of evidence from the defense part, among others.
Besides Chauvin, the other former police officers involved in the death of George Floyd are also being trialed. J. Alexander Jueng, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao are scheduled to start their trial next March. They’re facing state charges for aiding and allowing second-degree murder and manslaughter.
