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WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected Derek Chauvin’s appeal of his conviction for the second-degree murder of George Floyd.
Chauvin’s conviction and 22 1/2 year sentence stand after the move by the high court, The Associated Press reported. They denied it with no comment.
He was found guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter, The Washington Post reported. Chauvin is serving out his sentence at a federal prison in Tucson.
The former police officer’s lawyers said Chauvin did not get a fair trial in 2021 because of pretrial publicity. The attornies said there were also concerns that an acquittal would bring violence.
“This was particularly true here when the jurors themselves had a vested interest in finding Mr. Chauvin guilty in order to avoid further rioting in the community in which they lived and the possible threat of physical harm to them or their families,” the appeal said, according to The Washington Post. “Local media saturated the community with literally daily coverage regarding Mr. Chauvin.”
A Minnesota appeals court also rejected the petition for a new trial while the state’s Supreme Court refused to review the appeal court’s decision, the newspaper reported.
Chauvin was recorded on video pressing his knee on Floyd’s neck for 9 1/2 minutes during an arrest on May 25, 2020. Chauvin was placing Floyd under arrest for allegedly trying to use a fake $20 bill at a convenience store in Minneapolis. Floyd was recorded saying “I can’t breathe” and his death sparked protests worldwide.
This isn’t the only case that Chauvin is trying to appeal. He’s also trying to reverse his federal civil rights conviction, the AP reported. His argument — new evidence proves that he didn’t cause Floyd’s death, the Post reported.
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