Ex-officer Derek Chauvin, who is accused of murdering George Floyd, was released from jail today on a $1 million bond.
Chauvin, 44, is facing murder and manslaughter charges after a video showed him kneeling on Floyd’s neck for about eight minutes during an arrest on May 25.
He was released Wednesday on a conditional release and is expected to appear in court in March of next year, according to his notice of release filed in court.
Chauvin had been at the maximum-security prison in Oak Park Heights since late May. All four officers currently charged in Floyd’s death are now released from custody.
THE CHARGES AND THE AUTOPSY
Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and manslaughter. A video that was taken by a witness at the scene of Floyd’s Memorial Day death. It shows Chauvin with his knee pressed down on Floyd’s neck for almost eight minutes. The video sparked days of protest and violence in Minneapolis and demonstrations around the world.
Prosecution documents in the case against four former Minneapolis police officers charged in the death of Floyd show Chauvin had seven prior incidents of using neck or head and upper body restraints on arrestees, including four in which prosecutors say he went too far.
Chauvin’s attorney has argued that Floyd was positive for COVID-19 and that his death was the result of very high levels of fentanyl and methamphetamine in his system.
The big question is was he going to die anyway and did the knee restraint have nothing to do with his death. Floyd had enough drugs in him to kill a horse plus he had COV and other serious health issues. Read the autopsy here.
Much of what you hear in the news is inaccurate, however, 8 minutes is a long time for a knee restraint on a man clearly under control. However, he had resisted strenuously prior to the knee restraint.
Will he get a fair trial? That remains to be seen.
Chauvin faces over 12 years in prison if he’s convicted of unintentional second-degree murder.
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