Federal prosecutors in Minnesota are firing back at Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of murdering George Floyd, over his recent legal move. Chauvin’s legal team had successfully requested access to heart and fluid samples from Floyd’s autopsy, hoping to use them for tests. Prosecutors, however, say there’s no legal reason for such tests and are calling this request “unbelievable.”
In a motion filed on Tuesday, prosecutors asked U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson to reconsider his decision allowing Chauvin to access these samples. They argued that Chauvin’s request lacks any legal backing and questioned why he’d pursue this angle now. They pointed out that Chauvin’s state trial already rejected similar medical claims, and he was convicted based on overwhelming evidence.
Chauvin’s legal team is looking into whether Floyd’s death could have been caused by a heart condition instead of the 9 minutes and 29 seconds that Chauvin had his knee on Floyd’s neck. His lawyers suggest Floyd may have suffered from a rare condition called a “catecholamine crisis” tied to a tumor called paraganglioma. They also claim his death might be linked to a condition called Takotsubo’s myocarditis, a type of heart failure sometimes referred to as “broken heart syndrome.”
This idea apparently came up in April 2021, when a doctor mentioned it to Chauvin’s former attorney, Eric Nelson. However, nothing was done with this information. Now, Chauvin’s new legal team says Nelson provided ineffective legal help by not following up on this theory. Judge Magnuson acknowledged Chauvin’s claim and granted the access to the autopsy samples.
Prosecutors, however, believe Nelson’s choice not to act on the doctor’s tip was a deliberate legal strategy. They say courts have often ruled that these kinds of decisions are nearly impossible to challenge. Prosecutors argue that Nelson made a reasonable choice after consulting other experts and considering what had already failed during the state trial.
Chauvin is currently serving both state and federal prison sentences of at least 20 years. In addition to his murder conviction, he pleaded guilty to violating George Floyd’s civil rights. He had previously appealed his murder conviction to the U.S. Supreme Court but lost. Now, he’s trying to appeal the civil rights conviction in federal court.
Back in November 2023, Chauvin was attacked in Federal Correctional Institution Tucson, where he’s being held. Reports say another inmate stabbed him in what was described as a symbolic act related to the Black Lives Matter movement. Floyd’s death in May 2020, during an encounter with Chauvin, sparked nationwide protests and a renewed focus on police brutality against Black Americans.
The Office of the Federal Defender, which is representing Chauvin in his appeal, has not commented on the case.
