EXCLUSIVE: Derek Chauvin’s fight for a fair trial — and his ‘last line of defense’
"Derek's not guilty. He knows that. I know that … And if you don't get a fair trial, that's a problem. So that's what we're here to fix," said Derek Chauvin's attorney, Greg Joseph.
Months ago, around the time of the five-year anniversary of the George Floyd riots, there was talk of a presidential pardon for former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who along with three other officers was convicted of charges stemming from the death of George Floyd.
Chauvin has spent years in prison and a pardon would have been something to hope for. However, Chauvin’s attorney, Greg Joseph, has ignored the talk and remained focused on something else: getting him a fair, impartial trial.
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Joseph joined Liz Collin on her podcast. He explained how Chauvin’s trial “is obviously finished. His direct appeal is finished. So, they call it post-conviction relief in Minnesota.”
Joseph further explained to Collin that post-conviction relief “basically is a chance to litigate anything that may have been missed at either his trial level or on his appeal.”
“So this is really an opportunity for us to paint a picture, not only of, of what happened but also how it happened and why it happened. And this is a chance for us to make things right,” Joseph said.
Exhibit 17 from Derek Chauvin’s state trial and MPD training photographs showing a similar technique.
In talking more about Chauvin’s case and his conviction, Joseph said, “Derek’s not guilty. He knows that. I know that … And if you don’t get a fair trial, that’s a problem. So that’s what we’re here to fix.”
Aside from some of the particulars of the Chauvin case, Joseph also pointed out that “the first thing people have to understand is that Derek is tough. Derek is a fighter and he knows something was wrong here—and something is wrong here.”
“Going through this case with him over the past few months, you know, he’s really gotten a clearer picture of what was done and it was unjust. It was unjust then and it’s unjust today that he’s sitting in prison as we speak,” Joseph said.
Nearly two years ago, just days after “The Fall of Minneapolis” documentary was released, Chauvin was stabbed 22 times in a prison law library. Former FBI informant John Turskak has been charged with attempted murder for trying to kill Chauvin. However, according to records, he is no longer in custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Alpha News has made repeated requests to ask why—but no explanation has been given.
During the interview, Collin also asked Joseph if the dismissed defamation lawsuit filed by Assistant Chief of Police Katie Blackwell against Collin, Alpha News, and others may play a role in Chauvin’s fight for post-conviction relief and a fair trial.
Joseph said, “Katie Blackwell wasn’t the only person who offered that particular testimony … when false testimony is offered at trial, it can absolutely have a bearing on our case and it will.”
Left: Katie Blackwell making an arrest at the 2014 University of Minnesota hockey riots; Right: Blackwell testifying during Derek Chauvin’s murder trial.
“People need to understand this wasn’t an isolated thing. This wasn’t one incident that’s going to change the course of events here … it wasn’t isolated. It was systematic. It was repeated. And it was egregious,” Joseph explained.
In response to Blackwell’s defamation lawsuit, dozens of Minneapolis police officers signed court declarations stating that they were trained in the Maximal Restraint Technique (MRT). More specifically, 14 Minneapolis police officers said Blackwell committed perjury on the witness stand during Chauvin’s trial.
Joseph also explained that “Derek was sentenced to slightly more time to serve on his federal case than on the state conviction. So for that reason, he’s in federal custody right now. What we really have to address is the underlying state sentence first. And that’s because we’ve got a statute of limitations that’s coming up here.”
“We have to bring this petition within that statute of two years. So think of this as Derek’s last line of defense,” Joseph said.
In the meantime, Joseph also spoke about how Derek is very grateful for the prayers and the support that he’s received in prison.
“He’s hanging in there and he’s ready for the fight and it will be,” Joseph said.
There is a fund set up to help Derek’s fight for a fair trial and to help pay his legal expenses and expert witness fees.