Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is seeking a new trial after being convicted last year of murdering George Floyd, whose death led to nationwide protests and sparked calls to defund police departments.
In a brief filed in court, Chauvin attorney William Mohrman wrote that the ex-cop must be granted a new trial because it was impossible for him to be fairly tried in Minneapolis due to the tense climate that existed before and during the trial proceedings, adding that the media “glorified Floyd and demonized Chauvin.”
Mohrman also noted that jurors were anxious to convict him because they were worried about blowback from pro-Floyd protesters that could imperil the safety of themselves and their families.
“Juror No. 87 stated that she was ‘nervous’ because this was a high profile case and Minneapolis ‘blew up after the incident,'” Mohrman wrote.
“Juror 28 stated ‘the decision the jury makes has maybe broader implications, reactions from the general public,’ and ‘knowing that the people, general public, is paying attention to the decision and more pressure, I guess, to get it right.'”
The attorney also wrote that jurors were not properly sequestered as tensions flared over the nearby killing of Daunte Wright, also at the hands of a police officer, and that the trial should have been moved out of Hennepin County.
Chauvin was convicted in April 2021 and later sentenced to 22.5 years in prison. He also pled guilty to federal charges accusing him of depriving Floyd of his civil rights.
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One Response
The Floyd killing was so well publicized, you couldn’t have found a jury pool in Monsey, Lakewood or Anchorage where the details were not generally known. There are multiple court decisions on appeals that have rejected claims that jurors must be sequestered and/or must be oblivious to concerns about their safety. That comes with the territory and as a factual matter, virtually zero cases of documented retribution against jurors in modern times delivering unpopular verdicts.