Topic: WorldNetDaily
Apparently following the lead of columnist Jack Cashill, WorldNetDaily is getting on the Derek Chauvin-saving bandwagon. An anonymously written Nov. 16 article states:
Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer in prison for two decades for the death of George Floyd during an arrest in 2020, says he was deprived during his trial of evidence that reveals the real cause of Floyd's demise, and his conviction should be overturned.
Floyd died as Chauvin held him down with a knee on his neck for several minutes during the arrest.
[...]
His court filing asks that the conviction be overturned and a new trial ordered, or at least an evidentiary hearing be held.
The evidence is outlined as a determination from Kansas doctor, William Schaetzel, explaining that after a review of the Floyd autopsy records, he believes Floyd died from a complication from a rare tumor that can trigger an adrenaline surge that can be fatal.
Floyd, in fact, had multiple underlying health and drug issues at the time he died.
As we pointed out when Cashill pushed this argument, Schaetzel did not examine Floyd's body but merely read the autopsy report, and the unproven claim that an "adrenaline surge" and not Chauvin's neck compression sounds a lot like the dubious "excited delirium" defense that officers originally cited as an excuse to subdue Floyd.
The anonymous author stated that Schaetzel informed Chauvin's attorney of his opinion but that the attorney "never informed Chauvin about the pathologist or his theories." But it has been reported that as a condition of his guilty plea, Chauvin forfeited his right to an appeal except under the condition of asserting that his defense attorney was inadequate or incompetent to represent him, and no evidence has been offered to back up the credibility of Schaetzel's claim.
