In her filing for divorce from former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, Kellie Chauvin requested a last-name change and the titles to both of their homes.
Kellie Chauvin separated from her husband on May 28, the day before he was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for the death of George Floyd, according to the filing.
The filing cites an “irretrievable breakdown of the marriage” that was beyond saving. The couple have been married since June 2010, just under 10 years.
Chauvin said in the filing she wants to change her last name, among other requests. She didn’t say in the filing which surname she'd take once the divorce was finalized, but the petition notes that she was formerly known as Kellie Thao and Kellie Xiong.
About Kellie Chauvin
Chauvin was born in Laos and later moved to Wisconsin after her family fled a refugee camp. She has two children from her previous marriage, the Twin Cities Pioneer Press reported in a profile of Kellie Chauvin in 2018.In the same profile, she said she met Derek Chauvin at the medical center where she worked when he brought a suspect in for a health check before bringing them to jail.
In 2018, she competed for Mrs. Minnesota, a pageant for married Minnesotans. Her platform, she told the Pioneer Press, involved buying groceries for police officers and military members, rescuing animals, and volunteering with a nonprofit for Hmong women, an ethnic group from southeast Asia that she belongs to, who recently moved to the United States.
Chauvin hasn’t made a public statement since filing for divorce from the former police officer, but the law firm representing her said Friday that she was “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.”
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