Derek Chauvin seeks new trial after conviction for murder of George Floyd
- The ex-policeman’s lawyer says the court abused its discretion, and the verdict should be impeached because of jury misconduct
- Floyd, a black man, had died after the white officer knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes
The defence lawyer for the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of killing George Floyd has requested a new trial, saying the court abused its discretion on several points and that the verdict should be impeached because of jury misconduct, according to a court document filed Tuesday.
Derek Chauvin, who is white, was convicted last month of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the May 25 death of Floyd.
Evidence at trial showed Chauvin pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck for 9½ minutes as the black man said he could not breathe and went motionless.
Defence lawyer Eric Nelson cited many reasons in his request for a new trial. He said Judge Peter Cahill abused the discretion of the court and violated Chauvin’s right to due process and a fair trial when he denied Nelson’s request to move the trial to another county due to pretrial publicity.
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He also said Cahill abused his discretion when he denied an earlier request for a new trial based on publicity during the proceedings, which Nelson said threatened the fairness of the trial.