Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is seeking to overturn his federal civil rights conviction in the murder of George Floyd in 2020. Chauvin appeared in court on Wednesday, arguing that new evidence proves he did not cause Floyd’s death in Minnesota. In a motion filed on Monday, Chauvin claimed that he would not have pleaded guilty in 2021 if he had known about the theories presented by a Kansas pathologist, whom he had been in contact with in February.
Chauvin is requesting the judge who presided over his trial to dismiss his civil rights conviction and order a new trial, or at least hold a hearing for him to present the new evidence. Interestingly, Chauvin filed this request without a lawyer. He stated that Dr. William Schaetzel, from Topeka, Kansas, told him that Floyd died from complications related to a rare tumor called a paraganglioma, which can cause a fatal surge of adrenaline. However, it is worth noting that the pathologist did not physically examine Floyd’s body but reviewed the autopsy reports.
Chauvin argues in his motion that if the jury had heard this evidence, they would not have convicted him. It is important to mention that a federal appeals court has already rejected Chauvin’s requests for a rehearing twice. He is currently waiting for the U.S. Supreme Court to determine whether it will hear his appeal regarding his state court murder conviction.
Original article source: Derek Chauvin claims new evidence shows he didn’t cause George Floyd’s death, attempts to overturn conviction
