Court asked to void verdict against Derek Chauvin in George Floyd's murder
NBCNov 27, 2022
The Facts
On Wednesday, Derek Chauvin's attorney asked the Minnesota Court of Appeals to toss out the former Minneapolis police officer's convictions relating to the murder of George Floyd. His legal team argued that legal errors interfered with a fair trial.
Chauvin was sentenced to 22.5 years imprisonment on charges of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. He was also subsequently sentenced by a federal judge to 21 years in prison.
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
Legal and procedural errors hindered Chauvin from having a fair trial. The pretrial publicity was more extensive than that of any other trial in Minnesota history, and the judge should've moved the trial elsewhere. This case was and continues to be tried in the press not in a court of law — due process needs to occur.
Pro-establishment narrative
Chauvin had a transparent and thorough trial; the extremely public nature of George Floyd's death made moving the trial out of Minneapolis pointless. The video evidence of him killing Floyd is indisputable; he's clearly guilty and has been convicted and sentenced accordingly. It's time for him to face the consequences of his actions.
