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George Floyd’s death has turned the world upside down. It has sparked demonstrations against police violence and launched the Black Lives Matters campaign. For eight minutes, Police Chief Derek Chauvin put his knee on George Floyd’s neck. Despite Floyd repeatedly begging him to take it off because he couldn’t breathe.
Read also: George Floyd’s family is suing Minneapolis authorities
According to court documents, Chauvin is asking the court to dismiss the accusation against him, CNN reports. The former police officer believes that there is no basis for convicting him of premeditated, intentional or negligent murder. He believes it was Floyd’s drug use that caused the death.
The prosecution, on the other hand, wants it differently. They believe that George Floyd’s murder was so brutal that they are prepared to demand harsher punishments than usual.
Controversy over cause of death
Floyd lost consciousness and died of suffocation due to compression of his throat and the fact that the blood supply to the brain was stopped, an investigation started by Floyd’s family showed.
This was in contrast to the official autopsy, which showed Floyd had fentanyl and methamphetamine in his body and showed traces of SARS-CoV-2, but this was not listed as the cause of death. The report concludes that the death was a combination of his underlying health problems, drug use, and police intervention.
Unusually cruel
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has not defined the length of sentence he believes Chauvin will have, but has told the judge he has reason to go beyond the state’s sentencing guidelines.
“Floyd was treated with extraordinary cruelty. Despite requests that he not be allowed to breathe and die, as well as requests from witnesses that the police should dispose of Floyd and help him, the defendant and his co-defendant continued to maintain get Floyd under control. ” he writes the accusation at his post to the court.
Background : The trial after Floyd’s murder begins in March of next year.
Chauvin is charged with the murder of George Floyd along with his former colleagues J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Kiernan Lane and Tou Thao.
The three co-defendants have also requested that the accusation against them be dismissed. The judge has not ruled on the petition.
Video: Demonstrations after the murder – Punishing the police
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