Derek Chauvin Accuses Juror Of Being Pressured To Convict Him For George Floyd’s Murder

In addition, he says he did nothing wrong when it came to the fatal encounter with Floyd. He claims his use of force was justified.

At the same time, Chauvin is trying to convince a judge to throw out the murder conviction entirely. He believes the court made several errors during the trial that screwed him. One of the biggest issues he has is with the jury.

He believes juror # 96, Brandon Mitchell, was not honest during jury selection. Mitchell gave interviews to several outlets after the verdict came down.

During one sit-down, Mitchell said 11 of the 12 jury members voted guilty on their first vote. He claimed the one holdout was “unsure” and confused about the “legal jargon” in the jury instructions of which “can be interpreted amongst people.”

Chauvin’s team believes these statements prove Mitchell and the other jurors did not follow the proper instructions given to them.

They also believe Mitchell allowed his bias to influence his vote. They claim during interview, when talking about his decision, said, “If we want to see some change, want to see some things going differently, we’ve got to get out there into these avenues, get into these rooms, to try and spark some change.”

Another big complaint is with alternative juror Lisa Christensen. She was dismissed before the deliberations started but gave interviews about the process.

He claims in the interviews Lisa revealed she was clearly felt pressured to convict Chauvin. In the motion, Chauvin’s lawyers point to her saying she feared for her safety during jury selection. However, they claim after the verdict came down Lisa changed her tune when questioned by reporters.

Chauvin’s lawyers argue the statements make it clear Lisa, “was only concerned for her safety in the event of an acquittal.” They say this shows she felt pressure to convict Chauvin.

They are asking the court to dismiss the conviction immediately.