World News | George Floyd killing: Chauvin murder conviction upheld

MINNEAPOLIS, April 17 (AP) – A Minnesota appeals court on Monday upheld conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in the killing of George Floyd. Most serious murder conviction.

Chauvin was sentenced to 22.5 years in prison for second-degree murder. His lawyers are asking the appeals court to vacate the former police officer’s conviction for a number of reasons, including extensive pre-trial publicity. He also argued that legal and procedural errors denied Chauvin a fair trial. Prosecutors said Chauvin received a fair trial and a fair sentence.

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Floyd died on May 25, 2020, when Chauvin, a white man, knelt on the neck of a black man on the ground for 9 1/2 minutes. A bystander video captured Floyd’s “I can’t breathe” fading cries. Floyd’s death sparked protests around the world, some of which turned violent, and forced a national reckoning over police brutality and racism.

Chauvin’s attorney, William Mohrman, argued on appeal that the trial judge should have moved the case out of Minneapolis due to extensive pretrial publicity and unprecedented security precautions over fears of violence.

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“The main issue on this appeal is whether a criminal defendant can get a constitutionally required fair trial in a courthouse surrounded by concrete blocks, barbed wire, two armored personnel carriers, and a contingent of the National Guard, all of which or who has a Purpose: If the jury acquits the defendant,” Mollman said during oral argument in January.

But the state’s special prosecutor, Neal Katyal, argued that Chauvin was subjected to “one of the most transparent and thorough trials in the history of our country. … Many of Chauvin’s arguments in court were Not enough to justify a reversal.”

Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill sentenced Chauvin to 22.5 years in prison after jurors found him guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Chauvin later pleaded guilty to a separate federal civil rights charge and was sentenced to 21 years in federal prison, which he is now serving concurrently in Arizona.

“Judge Cahill managed this trial very carefully, and even if Chauvin could find some small mistakes, any mistakes are harmless,” Cartel said. “Chauvin’s incriminating evidence was captured on video for the world to see.”

Mollman argued in his brief that the pretrial disclosure was the most extensive of any trial in Minnesota history and that the judge should have shifted the trial and isolated the jury. The public and the unrest, the city’s announcement of a $27 million settlement with Floyd’s family during jury selection, the police killing of a black man in suburban Minneapolis during jury selection, Morman wrote. The resulting unrest, and the blockade of the courthouse, are just some of the factors that have affected Chauvin’s chances of getting a fair trial.

His appeal also focused on a juror who participated in a civil rights march on Washington honoring the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., months after Floyd’s death. It was only after the trial that jurors revealed he had been there.

Jurors were asked during the selection process whether he participated in any demonstrations or marches against police brutality “in Minneapolis” following Floyd’s death. But Erik Nielsen, Chauvin’s original deputy, did not ask him if he had attended any marches elsewhere.

Mollman argued that Cahill should have held a hearing after the incident came to light to determine whether the jurors’ non-disclosure amounted to wrongdoing. He said the appeals court should send the case back to Cahill for a hearing on the issue — a request Cahill declined.

Other disputes on appeal include whether Chauvin could legally be convicted of third-degree murder in light of a 2021 Minnesota Supreme Court ruling that clarified the definition of the crime, and whether Cahill had grounds to exceed 12 1/2 12 1/2 years suggested by the state’s sentencing guidelines. (Associated Press)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the body of content may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)