Derek Chauvin’s Lawyer Files Motion Demanding A New Trial

Derek Chauvin’s lawyer has filed a motion demanding a new trial takes place after the former officer was convicted of the murder of George Floyd.

The four-page document was filed on May 4 by attorney Eric Nelson who argued that a number of errors were made during the trial. 

It claims the former officer’s constitutional rights were violated, which means it wasn’t a due process. 

Feds ‘Had Secret Plan To Arrest Derek Chauvin If He Was Cleared Of Murder’

Nelson also argued that mistakes had been made by Hennepin Judge Peter Cahill, including prosecutorial misconduct, juror misconduct, witness intimidation, and the impact of publicity.

However, a specific incident or juror wasn’t specified. 

The lawyer stated: “The publicity here was so pervasive and so prejudicial before and during this trial that it amounted to a structural defect in the proceedings.”

Deputy chief of staff for Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has now responded to the motion, telling CNN: “The court has already rejected many of these arguments and the State will vigorously oppose them.”

According to a juror on the high-profile case, there wasn’t ‘any pressure’ to reach a guilty verdict. 

Brandon Mitchell told ABC News that he and the 11 other people in the jury didn’t watch the news in the build-up to the trial of the former Minneapolis police officer. 

He commented: “We were really just locked in on the case. 

“I mean, those things are just so secondary because you’re literally, throughout the trial, watching somebody die on a daily basis, so that stress alone is enough to take your mind away from whatever’s going on outside of the four walls of the courtroom.”

During the trial, the jury watched a clip of Chauvin, 45, as he knelt on Mr Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes when arresting him on May 25, 2020.

Eventually, a guilty verdict was reached for all his charges, including second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter.