A Minnesota court has granted former police officer Derek Chauvin’s request to have George Floyd’s heart tissue sampled as part of Chauvin’s murder conviction appeal, which is based on a forensic pathologist’s opinion that Floyd died from acute heart failure related to a pre-existing medical condition rather than Chauvin’s actions.
In a Dec. 16 ruling, District Court Judge Paul Magnuson granted Chauvin’s request for tests to be carried out on substances preserved from Floyd’s autopsy, including blood, urine, and heart tissue. The samples will be analyzed for elevated levels of catecholamines—potent stress hormones—and examined for signs of Takotsubo’s myocarditis, a rare form of acute heart failure.
