Derek Chauvin, an ex-Minneapolis police officer, is going to submit an appeal against his murder charge for the killing of George Floyd with the Minnesota state court of appeals, Reuters reports.
In April, a jury convicted Chauvin, a white man, after they found him guilty of unintended second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter in the death of Floyd, an African-American man. The judgment was generally seen as a watershed moment in the excessive use of police force against African Americans.
The footage showing Chauvin kneeling on the restrained Floyd’s neck for over eight minutes while the officers were making the arrest sparked worldwide anger and the greatest popular uprising witnessed in the United States in decades.
In June, the former Minnesota law enforcement officer was sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison.
Chauvin highlighted 14 problems regarding his indictment in paperwork submitted on Thursday, along with the court’s refusal of a petition for a venue change, which he thought justified his request to appeal the verdict.
The Minnesota District Court was not available for statements right away.
Chauvin claimed that the judge exploited his authority by denying his pleas to isolate the jury across the trial, denying him a retrial due to what he characterized as jury misbehavior, and refusing to allow him to remove what he regarded as plainly biased members from the jury.
The former police officer also mentioned problems with the trial, such as the inclusion of the third-degree homicide accusation and the court’s inability to keep an official record of several sidebars during the trial.
Chauvin also filed a petition to halt the appeals procedure until the Minnesota Supreme Court considers an initial judgment denying him a public defense lawyer to counsel him in his appeal.
The former Minnesota cop stated in written testimony that he does not have legal counsel in the appeals process.
Derek Chauvin stated he had no income other than minimal jail earnings and that his case was paid for by the Minneapolis Peace and Police Officers Association, but that following his conviction and imprisonment, the organization ceased paying for his legal counsel.
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