The Supreme Court on Monday turned away an appeal by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, leaving in place his conviction for the killing of George Floyd in May 2020.
Lawyers for Chauvin had asked the Supreme Court in October to take up his legal battle, which centered around a Minnesota trial court’s denial of his requests for a change of venue and to sequester the jury. Chauvin argued that the decision to keep the proceedings in Minneapolis deprived him of his right to a fair trial because of pretrial publicity and the threat of violence and riots in the event he was acquitted.
“Mr. Chauvin’s case shows the profound difficulties trial courts have to ensure a criminal defendant’s right to an impartial jury consistently when extreme cases arise,” his lawyers told the court in a filing, adding that the jurors who heard the case “had a vested interest in finding Mr. Chauvin guilty in order to avoid further rioting in the community in which they lived and the possible threat of physical harm to them or their families.”
The Minnesota Court of Appeals affirmed Chauvin’s conviction and rejected his request for a new trial in April after his lawyer challenged the decision by Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill not to move the trial from Minneapolis, among other issues. The state supreme court declined to review that decision in July, leaving in place Chauvin’s conviction and 22 ½-year sentence.
I’ll take the downvotes because I don’t care.
I feel that 20 years is excessive and though I firmly believe he deserves sentencing, I’m not sure that 20 years is the right call.
Yes, he ended a life. Yes, he was negligent. Yes, he could’ve done better. There is no doubt in my mind that he doesn’t regret his actions. Does that bring George back? No. Sad feelings do not do anything. But we always speak about how we praise Norway for their outlook on rehabilitation yet the masses shout for unlimited prison sentences and punishment.
I’m not sure what the right call is. As a matter of fact, I’d hate to be the judge, juror, or executioner. I just wanted to share that I agree. It’s somber on even the best outcome.
Floyd was Chauvin’s 4th murder. Look at his record as an officer. An endless stream of bodies and use of force complaints.
I’d love to be the judge. I’d sentence him to being tied to a pole, and hand Floyd’s relatives baseball bats, and intruct them that the only place they’re not allowed to hit him is in the head. Then let them have at it.
If I was the judge you dont wanna know what my sentence would be but trust me it would be fucking painnnnn
20 years is justice for what he did. If he wanted to go to jail in Norway he should have abused his position and slowly painfully with premedication murdered someone there.
I don’t care if he regrets torture and murder and I don’t know how you know that he does. Maybe he should have thought about guilt prior to torture.
Considering his record of killings, why do you think he regrets his actions? And if he did, do you believe it is for any other reason than the punishment he received?
Maybe it was written incorrectly, but he said he’s sure Chauvin doesn’t regret his actions. Which is an interesting point when arguing for rehabilitation, but changing a mindset like that would take copious amounts of time for them to be safe in public. Maybe like 20 years to rehabilitate.
Oh yeah, you’re right. I guess my mind couldn’t fathom “yeah he killed someone and doesn’t regret it, but he should be walking around”.
Sheesh though, that’s so much worse