A federal judge has authorized the legal team of Derek Chauvin to examine heart and fluid samples from George Floyd’s autopsy. U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson made the decision following claims by Chauvin’s attorneys that a heart condition, not Chauvin’s actions, led to Floyd’s death.
Dr. William Schaetzel, involved in the case, suggested Floyd suffered from takotsubo cardiomyopathy, which severely affects heart muscle walls despite being temporary. Floyd had fentanyl in his system during his arrest for allegedly using a counterfeit bill.
Additionally, the ruling confirms claims that blood was taken from Floyd before he died. This appears to indicate that Floyd was alive when he arrived at the hospital. “The autopsy report also shows that antemortem blood was collected by HHC on 5-25-20,” Judge Magnuson’s ruling states.
Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer, was convicted of the murder of George Floyd. The incident, where Chauvin was accused of killing Floyd by kneeling on his neck, resulted in widespread protests and riots across the United States in 2020. The unrest caused significant damage, with insurance claims running into billions, and claimed a number of lives.
Judge Magnuson, in his ruling, stated that Chauvin’s lawyers could now analyze histology slides and tissue samples taken during Floyd’s autopsy. Magnuson emphasized the criminal case’s significance and the potential impact of this discovery on understanding Floyd’s death. Chauvin is serving a 21-year prison sentence and is seeking to overturn his conviction, partly blaming his previous attorney, Eric Nelson, for not pursuing an alternative explanation of Floyd’s cause of death.
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