Judge Allows Derek Chauvin’s Lawyers to Test George Floyd’s Heart Samples in Federal Conviction Challenge

A judge ruled on Monday that attorneys for former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin can test preserved heart samples of George Floyd in an effort to challenge his 2022 federal conviction.

Chauvin, who is currently serving a 21-year federal sentence for violating Floyd’s civil rights and a separate 22 1/2-year state sentence for second-degree murder, is seeking to overturn his federal conviction.

In November 2023, Chauvin’s attorney filed a motion to vacate the charges, citing theories from Kansas-based pathologist Dr. William Schaetzel. Schaetzel contends that Chauvin’s actions were not the cause of Floyd’s death, suggesting instead that Floyd died due to extremely high levels of catecholamines—neurohormones triggered during extreme stress—or Takotsubo myocarditis, a condition caused by intense emotional or physical trauma.

The motion also accuses Chauvin’s former attorney, Eric Nelson, of providing ineffective counsel by not informing Chauvin of Schaetzel’s theory or pursuing further testing of Floyd’s heart samples, as the pathologist had recommended.

Under the judge’s ruling, Chauvin’s legal team is now allowed to conduct further discovery. They can access and test preserved slides, photographs, and tissue samples of Floyd’s heart, as well as tissue blocks and fluids. Specifically, the team aims to measure the levels of catecholamines and related compounds, such as metanephrine, from samples retained by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office.

George Floyd, died on May 25, 2020, after Chauvin, pinned his knee to Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes during an arrest. The incident, captured on bystander video, ignited nationwide and global protests, sparking a historic reckoning over racial injustice and police brutality.