Third-degree murder charges were reinstated Thursday against Derek Chauvin after a series of appellate issues. Here's a timeline of what happened.
Timeline: 3rd-degree murder charges against Derek Chauvin
Third degree murder charges were reinstated Thursday against Derek Chauvin after a series of appellate issues. Here's what happened.
March 11, 2021 at 10:41PM
May 29, 2020: Derek Chauvin is charged by the Hennepin County attorney with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the May 25 death of George Floyd.
June 3: Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison's office adds a charge of second-degree murder.
Oct. 22: District Judge Peter Cahill dismisses third-degree murder count, citing state law saying that "a third-degree murder charge can be sustained only in situations in which the defendant's actions ... were not specifically directed at the particular person whose death occurred."
Feb. 1, 2021: The Minnesota Court of Appeals upholds the third-degree murder conviction of ex-Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor in the 2017 shooting death of Justine Ruszczyk Damond. In the 2-1 ruling, the Appeals Court rules that third-degree murder can apply even when conduct or force is directed at a single person.
Feb. 4: Citing the Appeals Court ruling, the state Attorney General's Office files a motion to reinstate the third-degree murder charge against Chauvin, arguing that Cahill now has clear guidance on the elements of third-degree murder.
Feb. 11: Cahill denies the motion, saying he disagrees with the Appeals Court's majority opinion that third-degree murder can apply to a single person.
Feb. 12: The Attorney General's Office appeals Cahill's ruling.
Feb. 25: Noor's attorney asks the state Supreme Court to overturn his third-degree murder conviction.
March 1: Oral arguments over Cahill's third-degree murder charge denial take place before the Court of Appeals. The focus is whether the Appeals Court ruling is binding while the Supreme Court considers whether to hear Noor's case. The Supreme Court announces it will hear Noor's appeal.
March 5: The Court of Appeals rules that Cahill erred in not granting the state's motion to reinstate the charge, saying that its earlier ruling is binding.
March 9: Chauvin's attorney Eric Nelson asks the Minnesota Supreme Court to review the Appeals Court order.
March 10: Supreme Court declines to review Chauvin's case.
March 11: Cahill orders third-degree murder charges to be reinstated.
Staff reports
Republicans across the country benefited from favorable tailwinds as President-elect Donald Trump resoundingly defeated Democrat Kamala Harris. But that wasn’t the whole story in Minnesota.
