Chauvin appeals conviction in George Floyd murder to Minnesota Supreme Court

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin this week appealed his second-degree murder conviction for the 2020 killing of George Floyd to the Minnesota Supreme Court, court documents show.

Chauvin was convicted in 2021 of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd’s death. 

Floyd, who was Black, died after Chauvin kneeled on his neck for more than nine minutes, despite the 43-year-old repeatedly saying he could not breathe.

Floyd’s death sparked national outrage in 2020, leading to mass protests against police brutality and racism.

The Minnesota Court of Appeals upheld Chauvin’s second-degree murder conviction last month. 

The former officer is asking the state’s highest court to review the appeals court’s ruling that the district court “did not abuse its discretion” by declining to transfer venues, delay the trial or sequester the jury amid “pervasive pretrial publicity and community violence.”

Chauvin’s attorneys are also asking the court to review whether police officers can be convicted of second-degree unintentional murder involving third-degree assault if there was no “subjective intent” to use unreasonable force. The appeals court previously rejected this argument.

“The law only permits police officers to use reasonable force when effecting a lawful arrest,” Appeals Judge Peter Reyes wrote for the panel. “Chauvin crossed that line here when he used unreasonable force on Floyd.”