Prosecutors Request That Murder ChargeS Be Reinstated Against Derek Chauvin

Minnesota prosecutors are asking an appeals court on Monday to reinstate the third-degree murder charge against former Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd.

Chauvin has been charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter for Floyd’s death. However, the judge dropped the third-degree murder charge.

Prosecutors believe it is necessary to have the lesser option available incase jurors vote against the serious second-degree option.

“Right now, the attorney general’s office desperately wants this charge and they are pulling out all the stops,” lawyer Joe Tamburino, said WCCO-TV.

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As previously reported per the Daily Mail, Chauvin’s attorney filed a motion in court stating there was no probable cause to support the murder and second-degree manslaughter charges. The documentation claimed the fentanyl in George Floyd’s system caused his death instead of the prolonged pressure from Chauvin kneeling on his neck for 8 minutes. Additionally,  it stated several pre-existing conditions contributed to his death.

‘If [Mr. Floyd] was found dead at home alone and no other apparent causes, it would have been acceptable to label his death an overdose,”

The filing contradicts the family’s independent autopsy report where it states Floyd died from mechanical asphyxiation.