Well, folks, the legal saga of Derek Chauvin—the former Minneapolis police officer at the center of one of the most polarizing cases in modern history—is back in the headlines. On Monday, a judge gave the green light for an examination of George Floyd’s heart tissue and bodily fluids, a move that could open the door to a new appeal for Chauvin, who’s currently serving a hefty 20-plus-year sentence for second-degree murder.
Now, why is this happening? Chauvin’s new defense attorney, Robert Meyers, isn’t just throwing a dart at the wall. He’s filed a motion arguing that Chauvin received “ineffective assistance of counsel” during his trial.
Specifically, he claims that Eric Nelson, Chauvin’s previous attorney, failed to act on evidence from a forensic pathologist, Dr. William Schaetzel, who suggested that Floyd’s death might have been due to heart failure triggered by a massive release of catecholamines (stress hormones) rather than Chauvin’s infamous knee restraint.
JUST IN: In new court ruling, Derek Chauvin will be allowed to test heart tissue of George Floyd. pic.twitter.com/51Kzl1qoIP
— Liz Collin (@lizcollin) December 16, 2024
Here’s the kicker: Meyers says Nelson didn’t even discuss this alternative cause of death with Chauvin. Judge Paul Magnuson agreed that this could constitute ineffective counsel, and that’s why the court has approved the new forensic examination.
This isn’t the first time Chauvin has tried to appeal his conviction, and it certainly won’t be the last. In 2023, his attorney, William Mohrman, argued before the U.S. Supreme Court that Chauvin was denied a fair trial due to intense pre-trial publicity and fears of community backlash.
The Supreme Court, however, refused to hear the case. Mohrman also claimed that jurors felt intimidated, with many reportedly expressing concerns for their personal safety during the trial—hardly a recipe for impartial decision-making.
And let’s not forget the federal civil rights conviction tacked onto Chauvin’s sentence, for which he’s serving over 20 years concurrently. All this while enduring life in prison, including a recent stabbing incident.
For Chauvin, the stakes couldn’t be higher. If the new examination finds evidence that supports the alternative theory of Floyd’s death, it could strengthen his case for a new trial. But let’s be clear: overturning a conviction of this magnitude would be a Herculean task. The public, legal, and political pressure surrounding this case has been extraordinary from the start.
Critics of the original trial have long argued that the intense media coverage, community outrage, and high-profile nature of the case made it nearly impossible for Chauvin to receive a truly fair trial. But others maintain that the evidence of wrongdoing, captured in graphic detail on video, speaks for itself.