December 17th 2024.
A recent development in the case of George Floyd's death has caught the attention of many. The judge has granted permission for tests to be conducted on Floyd's heart tissue, at the request of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Chauvin is currently appealing his conviction for the death of Floyd in May 2020.
Back in November 2023, Chauvin's legal team filed a motion to dismiss the federal charges against him. Their argument was that Chauvin would not have pleaded guilty if he had known about certain theories put forth by Kansas pathologist Dr. William Schaetzel. According to Schaetzel, Chauvin's actions did not cause Floyd's death. Instead, he believes that Floyd died due to high levels of catecholamines, a neurohormone associated with stress response, and Takotsubo myocarditis, a heart condition triggered by intense emotional or physical experiences.
This theory put Chauvin's lawyer, Eric Nelson, in a difficult position. He was accused of not providing effective counsel by failing to inform his client of this information and not obtaining samples of Floyd's heart tissue, as recommended by doctors. U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson acknowledged the significance of the case and ordered that Chauvin be allowed to access the requested information, as it could potentially support Schaetzel's theory.
As a result, Chauvin's attorneys will now have the opportunity to examine slides, pictures, and tissue samples of Floyd's heart. They will also be able to test the concentration of fractionated catecholamines and metanephrine levels in fluids taken from the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office. This new development is just one of the many attempts made by Chauvin to have his convictions overturned.
The death of George Floyd in 2020 sparked global outrage when bystanders recorded Chauvin, a white police officer, kneeling on Floyd's neck for over nine minutes. Floyd, who was Black, could be heard pleading, "I can't breathe," a phrase that has since become synonymous with the Black Lives Matter movement and sparked protests across the country.
It's worth noting that Chauvin is currently serving a 21-year federal sentence for violating Floyd's civil rights and a 22 and a half-year state sentence for second-degree murder. Despite this, he continues to make attempts to have his convictions overturned. This case has attracted significant attention and has been closely followed by the public, especially those who are concerned about the treatment of Black individuals by law enforcement.
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