Judge Approves Chauvin’s Access To Floyd’s Heart Tissue For Appeal
A federal judge has granted Derek Chauvin’s legal team access to tissue and fluid samples from George Floyd’s heart, allowing his attorneys to pursue an alternate theory about the cause of Floyd’s death. The decision comes as part of Chauvin’s appeal to overturn his convictions related to Floyd’s 2020 death.
Chauvin, who is serving more than 40 years in state and federal prison, argues that his previous defense attorney, Eric Nelson, failed to investigate findings from Kansas pathologist Dr. William Schaetzel. The pathologist has suggested Floyd’s death may have been caused by elevated catecholamines or Takotsubo myocarditis, both linked to intense stress.
🚨🚨🚨
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
The judge ruled that the discovery could substantiate Schaetzel’s theory, which disputes claims that Chauvin’s restraint caused Floyd’s death. The ruling allows Chauvin’s legal team to examine histology slides and other autopsy materials, originally used to convict him of second-degree unintentional murder and federal civil rights violations.
Chauvin’s appeal also cites ineffective counsel, claiming Nelson did not pursue testing of Floyd’s heart tissue despite recommendations from Schaetzel. His attorneys contend this failure undermined the defense during the trial and affected Chauvin’s decision to plead guilty to federal charges.
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
Floyd’s death led to nationwide protests in 2020 and sparked debates about law enforcement practices. Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer, has maintained that his actions did not directly result in Floyd’s death.