Experts say that defense attorneys for former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin may have the grounds they need to appeal his conviction thanks to the President and Congresswoman Maxine Waters’ comments.
Judge Peter Cahill had admonished Waters remarks describing them as “an abhorrent” intervention in the trial after she urged protesters to be more “confrontational” if Chauvin were acquitted.
Shortly before the verdict’s announcement, President Biden also hinted to “overwhelming” evidence against the disgraced cop, and said that he was “praying for the right verdict.”
Biden noted that his remarks were made after jurors’ sequestration but that does not necessarily mean they were not impacted by prejudicial opinions, experts argued.
Now those unsolicited comments could be used by Eric Nelson to appeal his client citing his right to a fair trial.
The other arguments may include pre-trial publicity and failure to move the trial out of the city where the offense occurred.
Jurors may have felt the burden that if they did not convict Chauvin of all counts, Minneapolis would have “burned to the ground,” according to Criminal Law Expert Randy Zelin.
“There are so much and so many different directions for the defense to go,” he added.
