Chauvin appeal

The defence lawyer for Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of killing George Floyd, has requested a new trial, saying the court abused its discretion and the verdict should be impeached because of jury misconduct, according to a court document filed yesterday. Defence lawyer Eric Nelson said Judge Peter Cahill abused the discretion of the court and violated Chauvin’s right to due process and a fair trial when he denied Nelson’s request to move the trial to another county due to pretrial publicity. He also said Cahill abused his discretion when he denied an earlier request for a new trial based on publicity during the proceedings. Nelson also took issue with Cahill’s refusal to sequester the jury for the trial or admonish them to avoid all media, and with his refusal to allow a man who was with Floyd at the time of his arrest to testify. Nelson asked the judge to impeach the verdict on the grounds that the jury committed misconduct, felt pressured, and/or failed to adhere to jury instructions.