MINNEAPOLIS — The ex-officer convicted of killing George Floyd in 2020 is challenging his federal conviction and is asking the court to let his defense team test a new theory about how Floyd could have died.
Floyd, 46, died in May 2020 after ex-Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, pinned him to the ground with a knee on Floyd’s neck as the Black man repeatedly said he couldn’t breathe. The killing, captured on bystander video, sparked protests in 2020 as part of a worldwide reckoning over racial injustice.
Chauvin is making a longshot bid to overturn his federal guilty plea, claiming new evidence shows he didn’t cause Floyd’s death. According to a motion, Chauvin is arguing his attorney Eric Nelson gave ineffective counsel.
According to the judge's order, Nelson was reached out to by a doctor who said it was his opinion Floyd died "due to a catecholamine crisis." Nelson did not consult with Chauvin on this issue and the opinion was not tested, the order says.
Now, Chauvin is asking the court to have tests performed that could support the doctor's opinion. The tests will require access to Floyd's preserved heart tissue slides and photographs, along with other fluids. A judge has authorized these tests be done.
If Chauvin is unsuccessful at overturning his federal conviction, he won't be released until 2038.
