The Minnesota Court of Appeals is deliberating whether to reinstate a third-degree murder charge against Derek Chauvin, the police officer in Minneapolis involved in the killing of George Floyd.
A prosecutor from Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison s office argued that the presiding district court judge abused his discretion by dropping the third-degree murder charge against Chauvin. This happened during a virtual hearing on Monday, according to an ABC News report.
Chauvin currently faces second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter charges in relation to the May 25 killing of 46-year-old George Floyd. The former police officer did not attend Monday s hearing. We will . issue an expedited decision as soon as possible, appreciating that the trial in this matter is supposed to start one week from today, Appellate Judge Michelle A. Larkin was quoted in a report.
Minnesota s 3rd degree murder charge, explained
By FOX 9 Staff
(FOX 9) - Minnesota s third-degree murder statute reads: Whoever, without intent…causes the death of another by perpetrating an act eminently dangerous to others and evincing a depraved mind, without regard for human life… But two high-profile cases are challenging the definiton and application of the law.
On March 11, Hennepin County District Court Judge Peter Cahill reinstated the third-degree murder charge against Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged in the death of George Floyd. Chauvin already faced charges of second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the case.
Judge reinstates Derek Chauvin’s 3rd-degree murder charge