Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is seeking a new trial, arguing that the national fervor surrounding George Floyd’s death facilitated prosecutorial misconduct and bogus testimony that led to the ex-cop’s murder conviction.
Chauvin’s petition for postconviction relief claimed state prosecutors ignored autopsy records detailing Floyd’s cause of death, and instead had medical expert witnesses reference video of Chauvin’s knee-to-neck restraint to determine that Floyd died of asphyxiation.
The filing also said police witnesses lied on the stand about department policy regarding the restraint methods Chauvin used.
Chauvin, who is White, was seen on video holding down Floyd, who was Black, for roughly 9 1/2 minutes as Floyd cried out for help.
The video launched a global movement against racism and police brutality in 2020 that devolved into riots in some major cities, including Minneapolis.
“This Court is removed from the hysteria of the day and can finally look at the facts and evidence through a clear lens,” the court documents said, which were filed Nov. 20. “It is the first time a judicial officer can view the case without the pressure of the public mood.”
The issue at hand is how Floyd died — whether from strangulation due to the neck restraint or drug-induced heart failure.
Chauvin’s lawyers said prosecutors tried to discredit Hennepin County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Andrew Baker’s autopsy by having medical professionals testify about Floyd’s cause of death based solely on video evidence.
The filing cited a Minnesota Supreme Court ruling that said “video evidence alone, without any support in medical findings, is not an adequate foundation for a causation conclusion.”
Dr. Baker determined Floyd died of heart failure. His autopsy listed the presence of fentanyl, methamphetamine and heart disease as “significant conditions” surrounding Floyd’s death, but that neither of those factors directly ended Floyd’s life.
The new petition from Chauvin’s lawyers further said Minneapolis police brass, including former Police Chief Medaria Arradondo, gave false testimony when they said the knee-to-neck restraint was not part of department training or policy.
Lawyers for Chauvin acquired sworn affidavits from 57 current and former officers saying that the restraint was part of police protocol.
The filing said the lack of scrutiny by prosecutors allowed Chauvin’s due process rights to be “destroyed” during the 2021 trial.
On the stand, Chief Arradondo said the department does allow the restraint, but it has to be “light to moderate” and used under appropriate circumstances. Floyd’s detention did not meet that threshold, he testified.
The Minnesota Attorney General’s Office is expected to respond to Chauvin’s petition by Jan. 4, 2026.
Chauvin is serving 22 1/2 years in prison for murder and a concurrent 20-year sentence for violating Floyd’s civil rights and the civil rights of a Black teenager stemming from a 2017 incident.
The former cop is currently in federal custody in Texas. He survived a stabbing attack in 2023 from a fellow inmate due to his role in Floyd’s death.
Chauvin is eligible for release in 2037.
