Derek Chauvin's attorney files motion for new trial
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Eric Nelson, the attorney for former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, filed a motion on Tuesday for a new trial.
Last month, Chauvin was convicted of murdering George Floyd, a 46-year-old unarmed Black man, in May 2020.
In the request for a new trial, Nelson claims that because the court did not allow for a change in venue and did not sequester the jury or "admonish them to avoid all media," jurors saw "prejudicial publicity" and suffered from "jury intimidation or potential fear of retribution." The filing also alleges that Minnesota state prosecutors committed "pervasive, prejudicial prosecutorial misconduct" that kept Chauvin from receiving a fair trial.
Article continues belowThe Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
John Stiles, deputy chief of staff for Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, said in a statement the court "has already rejected many of these arguments and the state will vigorously oppose them."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
