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Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer convicted of the death of George Floyd, is seeking a new trial.
In a 82-page brief filed Monday, Chauvin’s lawyer, William Morman, said it was impossible for his client to get a fair trial in Minneapolis amid a tense atmosphere around the proceedings and the publicity of the pre-trial proceedings.
He said the media coverage of the case “glorified Floyd and demonized Chauvin.”
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Morman also claims that jurors are concerned about their safety and that of their loved ones and the possible consequences if Chauvin is acquitted. Floyd’s death was followed by mass national protests and riots in many cities, which sometimes led to violent clashes between law enforcement and protesters, and the city was “preparing for a riot” if Chauvin was acquitted.
Derek Chauvin wants a new trial a year after he was convicted of the death of George Floyd. (AP)
“Juror 87 said she was ‘nervous’ because it was a high-profile case and Minneapolis ‘exploded after the incident,'” the document said. Jury 28 stated that “the decision taken by the jury may have wider implications, reactions from the general public” and “knowing that the people, the general public, are paying attention to the decision and I suppose there is more pressure to be correct. ”
Morman also claims that jurors were not isolated as tensions erupted over the police killing of Downt Wright in nearby Brooklyn, Minnesota, during the trial.
Chauvin’s legal team also argued that the trial should have been moved outside Hennepin County. He was eventually convicted in April 2021 and sentenced to 22.5 years in prison. He also pleaded guilty to federal charges of depriving Floyd of his civil rights.
The other three former Minneapolis police officers accused of Floyd’s death in May 2020 – Tou Tao, Thomas Lane and Jay Alexander Queng – are scheduled to stand trial.
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On Tuesday, a judge from Hennep County said he would not allow the upcoming trial to be broadcast live.
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