Derek Chauvin’s attorneys will examine George Floyd’s heart tissue and related samples after a federal judge approved the discovery request as part of an appeal challenging his convictions. The request seeks to validate an alternate explanation for Floyd’s death, which occurred during Chauvin’s arrest in 2020.
Chauvin is currently serving more than 40 years in state and federal prison after being convicted of second-degree unintentional murder and federal civil rights violations. His legal team claims his prior attorney failed to pursue critical evidence that could have supported an alternate theory of Floyd’s death.
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BREAKING: A federal judge has ruled for Derek Chauvin and ordered that George Floyd's heart tumor must be tested to determine if it played a role in his death
The information about the heart tumor was not presented to Chauvin in the trialpic.twitter.com/FeHBuyRgqw
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) December 17, 2024
Kansas pathologist Dr. William Schaetzel suggests Floyd’s death may have resulted from Takotsubo myocarditis or elevated catecholamines, conditions associated with extreme emotional or physical stress. Chauvin’s attorneys argue that Schaetzel’s findings were not adequately explored during the original trial.
The judge’s ruling allows Chauvin’s legal team to access tissue samples and histology slides collected during Floyd’s autopsy. This evidence formed part of the original case against Chauvin, which alleged that his restraint techniques caused Floyd’s death.
At long long last, a judge officially acknowledges the fact that George Floyd was alive when he arrived at the hospital to get his antemortem blood samples collected. https://t.co/HU61mUhGdS pic.twitter.com/Lx24FkDz8e
— ~~datahazard~~ (@fentasyl) December 17, 2024
Chauvin’s appeal also alleges ineffective assistance of counsel, claiming that his previous attorney did not inform him of Schaetzel’s theory or pursue related testing. This, according to Chauvin, influenced his decision to plead guilty to federal charges.
