Elon Musk calls for release of Derek Chauvin

Elon Musk has publicly called for the release of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who is currently serving a sentence for the 2020 murder of George Floyd. On the social media platform X, Musk stated that Chauvin was ‘unjustly convicted of murder’ and argued that the facts show he was not the cause of death nor did he intend for a death to occur.

Musk’s comments coincide with a new legal effort by Chauvin’s defense team. Attorneys filed a petition for post-conviction relief, alleging ‘structural errors’ in the original trial. The defense argues that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz improperly assigned Attorney General Keith Ellison to lead the prosecution and that the failure to convene a grand jury deprived Chauvin of due process.

Musk has also supported a campaign involving commentator Ben Shapiro, who has petitioned for a federal pardon. Legal experts note that because Chauvin was convicted on both federal and state charges, a presidential pardon would only address his federal sentence, not his state conviction.