Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of killing George Floyd, will appeal that conviction to the U.S. Supreme Court, his attorneys said.
The decision to appeal came soon after Minnesota’s highest court denied Chauvin’s request to review his case. Chauvin was sentenced to more than 20 years in prison for second-degree murder in the 2020 killing of Floyd, which sparked protests against police misconduct and unrest across the nation.
Chauvin’s attorneys told The Associated Press, CNN and other news outlets about their intention to appeal. Those attorneys did not immediately respond to a request from comment from USA TODAY.
Chauvin faces long odds at the Supreme Court, which declines to decide the vast majority of appeals.
Chauvin, who is white, held his knee on Floyd’s neck and ignored his protests that he couldn’t breathe, a scene captured by widely viewed witness videos. Floyd was Black.
Chauvin’s attorney, William Mohrmann, told the Associated Press that the most significant issue on which they appealed was whether holding the proceedings in Minneapolis in 2021 deprived Chauvin of his right to a fair trial due to pretrial publicity and concerns for violence in the event of an acquittal.
Contributing: Associated Press