Derek Chauvin appeals conviction in George Floyd murder, arguing trial wasn't fair
An attorney for former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on Tuesday appealed the conviction in the murder of George Floyd in Minnesota in 2020.
The prison stabbing of George Floyd's convicted killer, the disgraced ex-Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin, was a predictable attack on a high-profile target at obvious odds with many of his fellow inmates, according to experts.
Meanwhile, Chauvin's mother blasted federal authorities on Facebook Monday, days after paramedics rushed her son to a hospital after the stabbing in a federal prison in Tucson, Arizona.
"I AM OUTRAGED," she began her post, in all capital letters. "MY SON WAS STABBED ON FRIDAY AT 12:30 P.M. NOT ONE PERSON FROM FCI PRISON, BOP OR THE FBI HAS CONTACTED ME!"
She said she had major concerns and questions about the incident, which authorities have so far declined to discuss publicly.
DEREK CHAUVIN STABBED BY INMATE IN FEDERAL PRISON, SERIOUSLY INJURED: REPORT
Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 21 years in federal prison for the death of George Floyd. (AP)
Chauvin's condition was not immediately clear.
Federal Bureau of Prisons authorities said they could not give an update on his injuries Monday, citing privacy and safety concerns. Officially, they have not even confirmed the identity of the inmate stabbed just after noon Friday.
He was a dead man walking his first day in prison. This definitely won't be the last attack.
And a spokesman for Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, whose office prosecuted Chauvin on the state murder charge, said he had not received current information.
In a statement over the weekend, Ellison said he was "sad" to hear the news and condemned the attack.
George Floyd died May 25, 2020, after an encounter with four Minneapolis police officers. (AP)
"He was duly convicted of his crimes and, like any incarcerated individual, he should be able to serve his sentence without fear of retaliation or violence," he said.
However, not even Chauvin's family or defense team has received an update on his condition this week, according to attorney Gregory Erickson, who called the lack of news "completely outrageous."
"It appears to be indicative of a poorly run facility and indicates how Derek's assault was allowed to happen," he told The Associated Press.
No prison employees were hurt in the incident, according to the BOP. Prison staff "isolated and contained" the incident before performing "life-saving measures" on the victim, who was transported to a local hospital.
Photos provided by the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office in Minnesota on June 3, 2020, show, from left, former officers Derek Chauvin, J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao. (Hennepin County Sheriff's Office via AP, File)
"He was a dead man walking his first day in prison," warned Keith Rovere, a former prison minister who hosts the "Lighter Side of Serial Killers" podcast and speaks with dozens of inmates around the country regularly. "This definitely won't be the last attack."
In fact, he said, he was surprised it took so long. Prison gangs notoriously target high-profile prisoners, he said, and Chauvin is among the most infamous ex-cops behind bars in the country.
"And it's not exactly a fair fight – they're going to wait until you're alone or when your back is turned," he added.
Chauvin, a 19-year member of the Minneapolis Police Department who garnered both medals for bravery and more than a dozen civilian complaints, held his knee on Floyd's neck for more than 9 minutes on Memorial Day 2020, a slaying captured entirely on a bystander's cellphone video, which prompted nationwide riots and calls to "defund" police departments that have had lasting effects on U.S. cities.
Floyd had been accused of using a counterfeit $20 bill.
Chauvin is serving concurrent sentences for second-degree murder and for violating Floyd's civil rights – making him the highest-profile inmate in federal custody, according to Mike Padden, a Minneapolis-based defense attorney who has been following Chauvin's case from the start.
This happens in Third World countries, not in America.
"It just seems like there are just so many examples in our country where we're not living up to what we're supposed to be," he told Fox News Digital.
From Chauvin's "egregious" murder of Floyd to the mystery surrounding his stabbing last week, the public deserves answers and accountability, he said, while also criticizing the stabbing of disgraced sports doctor Larry Nassar and the death of Jeffery Epstein – both of which happened in federal facilities.
Sports doctor turned sex offender Larry Nassar, serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer and mobster James "Whitey" Bulger all suffered violent attacks while in custody – the latter two fatal ones. (Getty Images/AP Newsroom)
"This happens in Third World countries, not in America," Padden said. "The American public has an absolute right to know exactly what happened. Period."
Chauvin's stabbing happened around 12:30 p.m. Friday. The following day, the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson suspended visitation.
Federal officials said they could not discuss security practices but that the suspension decisions are made on a case-by-case basis "for a variety of reasons" by prison wardens.
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Prior to his arrival there, Chauvin had been incarcerated in solitary confinement at a maximum security state prison in Minnesota.
"They threw this cop to the wolves," said Seth Ferranti, a former "Most Wanted" fugitive. He said someone with Chauvin's profile should have been locked up either in protective custody or in a facility where other inmates have more to lose.
Ferranti served 21 years in federal prison on nonviolent drug trafficking charges, where he became an author and documentarian. His most recent project, "Psychadelic Revolution: The Secret History of the LSD Trade," was just released on Amazon.
"He's a cop. He killed a Black man… two strikes against him," Ferranti told Fox News Digital. "He was bound to get hit in a medium security facility."
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In an appeal filed earlier this month, Chauvin claimed new evidence shows he was not responsible for the death. Separately, the Supreme Court rejected his appeal for a new trial just days before the stabbing.
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