Derek Chauvin’s wife, Kellie Chauvin, announced in a public statement that she is seeking a divorce from her husband. Derek Chauvin was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter in connection with George Floyd’s death, after Chauvin was seen kneeling on Floyd’s neck shortly before Floyd died. Kellie Chauvin’s announcement was reported by a local news source after speaking with her attorney.
Kellie Chauvin’s Attorney Released a Public Statement to Local News That She’s Seeking a Divorce
Esme Murphy of WCCO-TV broke the news on Twitter after Kellie Chauvin’s attorney released the statement on her behalf.
Kellie Chauvin,
Through her attorney wife of former Officer Derek Chauvin the former Minneapolis Police Officer charged with murdering #GeorgeFloyd released a statement saying she is devastated by Floyd’s death, sends condolences to his family and is divorcing her husband @wcco
The statement from Sekula Law Offices reads:
This evening, I spoke with Kellie Chauvin and her family. She is devastated by Mr. Floyd’s death and her utmost sympathy lies with his family, with his loved ones, and with everyone who is grieving this tragedy. She has filed for dissolution of her marriage to Derek Chauvin.
While Ms. Chauvin has no children from her current marriage, she respectfully requests that her children, her elder parents, and her extended family be given safety and privacy during this difficult time.
In response to a question on Twitter about whether Kellie Chauvin was divorcing Derek Chauvin because of the Floyd case, Murphy responded: “Kellie Chauvin is divorcing her husband Derek Chauvin because of his role in the George Floyd case.”
The Statement Came on the Same Day that Derek Chauvin Was Charged with Third-Degree Murder
The announcement came on the same day that Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington announced that Derek Chauvin, 44, was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter in connection with Floyd’s death. You can read the criminal complaint against Chauvin here.
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said in a press conference on May 29:
The investigation is ongoing. We felt it appropriate to focus on the most dangerous perpetrator. I must say that this case has moved with extraordinary speed. This conduct, this criminal action, took place on Monday evening, May 25th, Memorial day. I’m speaking to you at 1:00 on Friday, May 29th. That’s less than four days. That’s extraordinary. We have never charged a case in that kind of timeframe, and we can only charge a case when we have sufficient admissible evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt…
We have charged this case as quickly as sufficient admissible evidence to charge it has been investigated and presented to us… We have now been able to put together the evidence that we need. Even as late as yesterday afternoon, we didn’t have all that we needed. We have now found it, and we felt a responsibility to charge this as soon as possible.
I’m not going to talk specifically about this piece of evidence or that piece of evidence… I can only talk about what’s in the complaint. … Now, let me just quickly say we have evidence. We have the citizens’ cameras, video, that horrible, horrific, terrible thing that we have all seen over and over again. We have the officer’s body-worn camera. We have statements from some witnesses. We have a preliminary report from the medical examiner. We have discussions with an expert. All of that has come together, so we felt, in our professional judgment, it was time to charge, and we have so done.”
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