Last week, Derek Chauvin's attorney, Eric Nelson filed a motion in an effort to basically get Chauvin off the hook for time served and probation rather than actually serving decades in prison.
Nelson cited a combination of strange occurrences in the case, as well as the dangers of sending a police officer to prison at a time like this, especially this one.
I agree, I don't think he would last very long at all.
A separate filing contained requests that Chauvin receives a new, more fair trial in a different location. This was due to both juror bias and prosecutorial misconduct that played a role in Chauvin's wrongful prosecution.
“Mr. Chauvin asks the Court to look beyond its findings, to his background, his lack of criminal history, his amenability to probation, to the unusual facts of this case, and to his being a product of a ‘broken’ system,'” Nelson wrote in the filing.
The attorney noted that Chauvin has lived a “hardworking, law-abiding life” and is “not the average offender,” adding that “politics” has wrongfully painted his client “as a dangerous man.”
“Mr. Chauvin still has the ability to positively impact his family and his community,” the filing said. “In the eyes of the public, Mr. Chauvin has been reduced to this incident, and he has been painted as a dangerous man. … However, behind the politics, Mr. Chauvin is still a human being.”
“In spite of his mistakes, Mr. Chauvin has demonstrated that he has a capacity for good and that he has the discipline to consistently work toward worthwhile goals,” Nelson wrote.
“Chauvin was unaware that he was even committing a crime,” the attorney argued. “In fact, in his mind, he was simply performing his lawful duty in assisting other officers in the arrest of George Floyd. … Mr. Chauvin’s offense is best described as an error made in good faith reliance [on] his own experience as a police officer and the training he received — not intentional commission of an illegal act.”
June 25 is the sentencing date for Mr. Chauvin, who is facing an exuberant 40 years in prison, rather than the state sentencing guidelines, which call for a mere 10 1/2 - 15 for a first-time 'offender' such as Chauvin.
Both Chauvin and his lawyer believe that his trial has been politically driven, painting him as a monster for a political cause. If this is true, as so many believe, it would mean that many scientific, medical, and circumstantial pieces of evidence were ignored.
When boiled down, Chauvin followed police protocol, Floyd likely died of an overdose, and the jury was rigged from the start with a highly publicized, high politicized disinformation campaign.
While Judge Cahill may have told the jury not to watch any news, it's highly unlikely that the jurors heard absolutely nothing amidst the rioting, protesting, and commercial campaigns that reached as far as children's entertainment channels.
We can only hope and pray that Chauvin is given a new, fair trial so that true justice can be served.
Sources:
Daily Wire