Derek Chauvin Can Access, Test George Floyd’s Tissue Samples

The former Minneapolis police officer who admitted to killing George Floyd in May 2020 is entitled to discovery on his claims of ineffective assistance of counsel, the US District Court for the District of Minnesota said Monday.

Derek Chauvin filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his conviction and sentence on the grounds that his lawyer failed to inform him that William Schaetzel, a physician, had opined that Chauvin wasn’t responsible for Floyd’s death.

Chauvin said it’s Schaetzel’s opinion that Floyd died due to a catecholamine crisis when his paraganglioma secreted excessive levels of catecholamines—hormones secreted by the adrenal gland—leading to ...