Chauvin Wants New Trial Over George Floyd's Death

Derek Chauvin wants a new trial. The former Minneapolis police officer convicted of murdering George Floyd is seeking one on a number of grounds, including his claim that kneeling on a suspect's neck was part of his police training, reports Fox News. Chauvin's filing in Hennepin County Court claims that police training and policy were misrepresented in court, that faulty jury instructions undermined the outcome of his case, and that the medical testimony was flawed. He says he has doctors willing to testify that the four physicians who spoke at his trial used unsound methodology in reviewing Floyd's death, basing testimony on video from the scene as opposed to medical tests.

Chauvin also disputes the testimony of three Minneapolis police supervisors who said the knee-on-neck restraint was not consistent with department policy. He claims that 34 current and former officers have provided sworn statements asserting that the tactic was indeed part of police training and aligned with policy at the time. Chauvin also the judge gave jurors "misstatements of law," per KARE. Chauvin's 2023 appeal for a new trial was rejected. He's serving concurrent federal and state sentences—21 years for violating Floyd's civil rights and 22 and a half years for second-degree murder—at a low-security prison in Texas, with release currently scheduled for 2038.