Former law enforcement officer receives second chance to overturn landmark George Floyd case
Date
12/17/2024 6:59:22 AM
(MENAFN) A Minnesota judge has allowed former Police officer Derek Chauvin’s legal team access to George Floyd’s heart tissue and bodily fluid samples as part of their effort to overturn his 2020 conviction. Chauvin is currently serving two sentences: 21 years for federal civil rights violations and over 22 years for second-degree murder following Floyd’s death under Chauvin’s custody.
Chauvin’s defense filed a motion in November 2023, challenging his conviction by claiming that his original lawyer did not inform him about pathologist Dr. William Schaetzel’s theory that Floyd’s death may not have been caused by Chauvin’s actions. Schaetzel suggests Floyd may have died due to high levels of catecholamines, stress hormones, or a heart condition known as Takotsubo’s myocarditis.
Floyd’s initial autopsy indicated he had heart disease and hypertension, and the official cause of death was ruled as homicide, caused by cardiopulmonary arrest, worsened by neck compression. Fentanyl and methamphetamine were also found in his system.
Chauvin, along with three other officers involved in the arrest, was convicted of Floyd’s death. In an unrelated incident last year, Chauvin was attacked and stabbed 22 times by a fellow inmate, who stated the attack was meant to symbolize the Black Lives Matter movement. Chauvin recovered from the injuries and was moved to a different prison following the attack.
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