Prisoner Accused of Stabbing Derek Chauvin 22 Times Granted Special Prison Privileges To Prep For Attempted Murder Trial
March 20 2024, Published 1:00 p.m. ET
The former Mexican gangster accused of shanking Derek Chauvin 22 times in a brazen prison attack was granted special privileges to mount a defense in his attempted murder trial, RadarOnline.com can exclusively reveal.
According to court documents, obtained by RadarOnline.com, a federal judge ruled John Turscak will have unlimited access to legal documents inside his prison cell and will be allowed to use a prison laptop for up to six hours a day to review the evidence for his upcoming trial.
“Mr. Turscak shall be allowed access to a laptop computer (and associated power cord), one or more electronic storage drives (and associated USB cord), and paper and a writing instrument for taking notes, all for the sole purpose of reviewing the discovery in his case, in order to assist in his defense,” U.S. Magistrate Judge Lynnette C. Kimmins wrote in the two-page order.
The request for the special privileges was made last month after his defense attorney realized that strict rules at the CoreCivic’s Central Arizona Florence Correctional Complex (CAFCC) impeded Turscak ability to review the reams of documents that will be used as evidence against him.
“This is necessary in order for Mr. Turscak to review the discovery in this case,” his court appointed attorney Laura Udall stated in court documents. “The discovery in this case, as of today, is well over 950,000 kilobytes; this translates, conservatively, into thousands of documents.”
Turscak has pled not guilty to the brutal attack on Chauvin who was in the law library at a Tucson, Arizona, penitentiary.
Turscak at first admitted he attacked the former Minneapolis police officer serving 22.5 years for the 2020 death of George Floyd in a symbolic gesture for the Black Lives Matter movement.
Turscak, who was serving 30 years in Tucson for committing various crimes while working as a federal informant, later retracted the boast during an interview with federal investigators.
Turscak wants to mount a vigorous defense despite the overwhelming evidence that includes video surveillance and statements from a corrections officer who had to pry him off the bloodied Chauvin who miraculously survived.
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The magistrate also ordered Turscak’s lawyer to make sure that only data pertinent to the case are in the case files allowed prison guards to closely monitor the convict.
“CoreCivic may subject Mr. Turscak to its customary level of observation during his use of the laptop,” Kimmins stated. "Appropriate CAFCC personnel are authorized to review the contents of the laptop and drives to ensure compliance. CAFCC shall maintain custody of the laptop, cords, and external drives. CAFCC shall allow Mr. Turscak to access them in a suitable location which shall allow Mr. Turscak to plug in the laptop during use.”