(TJV)A federal judge has granted Derek Chauvin’s legal team permission to reanalyze heart tissue and body fluids from George Floyd’s autopsy. Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who knelt on Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes, was convicted in 2022 and sentenced to 22.5 years in prison. His lawyers aim to argue that Floyd’s death was caused by a pre-existing heart condition rather than the officer’s actions.
Court documents reveal that George Floyd was ALIVE when he arrived at the hospital to get his antemortem blood samples collected.
Derek Chauvin has now spent over two years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit.
How did a DA and a Judge allow this to proceed?? pic.twitter.com/lwpWzzz7UV
— Isabella Maria DeLuca (@IsabellaMDeLuca) December 17, 2024
U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson issued the ruling as part of Chauvin’s ongoing efforts to overturn his federal conviction. Chauvin has been in prison for over two years and was attacked in December 2023, sustaining 22 stab wounds from another inmate who had previously worked as an FBI informant.
Court filings by Chauvin’s defense highlight that Floyd was still alive when he arrived at the hospital, citing the collection of his “antemortem blood” on May 25, 2020. Social media users have resurfaced parts of Floyd’s autopsy report, which noted the absence of life-threatening injuries but documented 11 ng/mL of fentanyl in his system—a level that some experts, such as the Delaware Department of Justice, suggest could be lethal.
Pardon Derek Chauvin.
This is George Floyd’s REAL killer… https://t.co/RP7xC0KbI8 pic.twitter.com/ERaiiDWO7M
— Myron Gaines (@MyronGainesX) December 17, 2024
Chauvin’s attorneys are also claiming ineffective legal representation in his previous trial, further fueling his appeal efforts to overturn his conviction. Meanwhile, calls for his pardon are gaining traction online as debates over the case and its implications reignite
