Derek Chauvin looks to appeal state murder convictions in George Floyd death
Global News
Chauvin's appeal of his murder convictions in state court would not change the 21-year prison sentence he is currently serving on a separate federal civil rights charge.
An attorney for Derek Chauvin is planning to ask an appeals court Wednesday to throw out the former Minneapolis police officer’s convictions in the murder of George Floyd, arguing that numerous legal and procedural errors deprived him of a fair trial.
Floyd died on May 25, 2020, after Chauvin, who is white, pinned the Black man to the ground with his knee on his neck for 9 1/2 minutes. A bystander video captured Floyd’s fading cries of “I can’t breathe.” Floyd’s death touched off protests around the world and forced a painful national reckoning with police brutality and racism.
Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill sentenced Chauvin to 22 1/2 years after jurors found him guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Chauvin later pleaded guilty to a separate federal civil rights charge and was sentenced to 21 years in federal prison, which is he is now serving in Arizona concurrent with his state sentence.
While Chauvin waived his right to appeal under his federal plea deal, he continued to pursue his appeal of his murder convictions in state court. Even if he wins his appeal, his federal sentence will keep him in prison longer than his state sentence likely would because he would qualify for parole earlier in the state system.
“A victory at the Minnesota Court of Appeals would be a pyrrhic victory because it would be functionally meaningless,” said Mike Brandt, a Minneapolis defense attorney who has been following the several cases arising from Floyd’s murder. He pointed out that Chauvin’s time in prison is “pretty well locked in stone” given his federal sentence.
But Chauvin might also like the idea of having the murder conviction off his record, leaving only the federal civil rights count, for when he gets out of prison, Brandt said.
Chauvin’s attorney for the appeal is William Mohrman, who often pursues conservative causes including challenges to President Joe Biden’s election victory and to COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Mohrman took the case after Chauvin struggled to find an attorney to pursue his appeal.
Brandt noted that Mohrman as well as his partners at their firm have taken on many high-profile causes “with a conservative bent” and said this could be yet another.
Greenland is an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, which is a member of the U.S.-led NATO. Last week, Trump hinted at potential action.
The mission, which comes at the request of Denmark, aims to explore possible military contributions to bolster the security of the region, a German defence ministry statement said.
The U.S. State Department said the move would apply to countries whose nationals are deemed likely to require public assistance while living in the United States.
The United States said it was withdrawing some personnel from key bases in the Middle East as a precaution given heightened regional tensions.
A new poll suggests almost a third of Canadians say the United States might attempt "direct action" to take control of Canada, with a fifth of Americans agreeing.
The advisory points to the arrest and detention by Iranian authorities of several individuals 'including foreign and dual nationals.'
It's been a long-term request of the premier as he looks to keep Ontario's struggling, fledgling electric vehicle industry intact.
The two-page bill would authorize Trump to 'take such steps as may be necessary' to annex Greenland and fast-track making the territory the 51st state.
On Monday, Indonesia and Malaysia became the first countries in the world to block Grok AI, citing concerns over non-consensual deepfakes.
Court documents showed the broadcaster would argue that the court in Florida lacked personal jurisdiction in the case because it did not broadcast the spliced speech in the state.
Economic pressure, which has intensified since September when the United Nations reimposed sanctions, has sent Iran's rial currency into a free fall.
The report was released to Global News under the Access to Information Act
A judge with the Alberta Court of Kings Bench has ruled PetroChina's attempts to take full ownership the Grand Rapids Pipeline lacks the necessary federal government approval.