Chauvin Wrote Crucial Reminder of Lawyer's Info on His Hand Right Before Guilty Verdict
Right before his conviction on all charges in the death of George Floyd, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knew that he needed to prepare for the worst.
As he was being led out of the courtroom following his conviction, a message could be seen written on his left hand.
TMZ reported Tuesday that it confirmed that the message was the phone number of his attorney.
“Chauvin’s lawyer, Eric Nelson, tells TMZ, his client wrote the number ahead of the conviction, because the convicted former cop knew if the jury found him guilty of second-degree murder he’d almost certainly have his bail revoked and he’d be remanded to custody,” the outlet reported.
As a former police officer, Chauvin is certainly familiar with court proceedings. If he had written the number on a piece of paper, it could have been confiscated when he arrived at the jail.
While the jury has rendered its verdict in his case — guilty of second- and third-degree murder as well as second-degree manslaughter — there is still plenty for Chauvin and Nelson to potentially discuss.
His sentencing has not yet occurred, so he might want to talk to his lawyer before that happens.
According to Yahoo! News, each murder charge typically carries a 12-and-a half-year sentence for someone without a criminal record. For the manslaughter charge, the presumptive sentence is four years in Minnesota. The report said the state guidelines mean the sentences would likely be served simultaneously, not consecutively.
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However, prosecutors have made known their intentions to fight for a sentence above the usual guideline range, Yahoo reported. The highest maximum sentence of the three crimes is 40 years for second-degree murder.
In addition to the upcoming sentencing, it seems likely that Chauvin will appeal the court’s ruling. This would come after the sentencing, and it would certainly be something that Chauvin would want to discuss with Nelson.
Peter Cahill, the judge who oversaw Chauvin’s trial, has suggested that an appeal could have success for the defense. After California Rep. Maxine Waters encouraged protesters to “get more confrontational” if Chauvin wasn’t convicted, Cahill criticized her.
“I will give you that Congresswoman Waters may have given you something on appeal that may result in this whole trial being overturned,” he said.
“I will give you that Congresswoman Waters may have given you something on appeal that may result in this whole trial being overturned,” says Judge Peter Cahill to Derek Chauvin’s lawyer Eric Nelson pic.twitter.com/ArQX8xl7dH
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) April 19, 2021
He also called the overall behavior of many politicians in discussing this case “abhorrent.”
All of this and more could come up in a discussion between Chauvin and Nelson.
While TMZ said Nelson did not say what a potential call with his client could be about, it reported that the former officer apparently “wanted to discuss the next steps with his attorney.”
While the left got the murder conviction it demanded, that did not come without controversy. In all likelihood, Chauvin and Nelson will be doing a lot more talking in the coming months.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
