Derek Chauvin files petition to vacate state murder conviction in death of George Floyd

By 

Riley Moser

Updated on: August 18, 2026 / 10:37 PM CDT / CBS Minnesota

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is once again seeking to overturn his state murder conviction in the 2020 killing of George Floyd, according to court documents filed Tuesday.

Chauvin is looking to have his conviction vacated and the charges dismissed.

In the petition, Chauvin's legal team is requesting a court order declaring that the assignment of authority of the case to Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison was "illegitimate" and a violation of his due process rights. Additionally, they're asking for a court order declaring that the failure of the Hennepin County District Court to convene a grand jury before any charging decision and the failure of prosecutors to secure an indictment also violated Chauvin's due process rights.

WCCO has reached out to the Minnesota Attorney General's Office for comment.

Chauvin has been in federal prison since 2021 and is simultaneously serving a 21-year federal sentence for violating Floyd's civil rights and a 22 1/2-year state sentence for second-degree murder. Chauvin has been serving out the concurrent sentences in a federal prison in Big Spring, Texas. 

Floyd, who was Black, died on May 25, 2020, after Chauvin, who is White, used his knee to pin Floyd's neck to the ground for nine and a half minutes. The killing, captured on bystander video, sparked protests in 2020 as part of a worldwide reckoning over racial injustice.

In 2022, Chauvin appealed his conviction to the Minnesota Court of Appeals, claiming the jury had been "intimidated by excessive pre-trial publicity." A three-judge panel affirmed the conviction in a 50-page decision. The Minnesota Supreme Court declined to review the case. Chauvin's lawyers also asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review his conviction, but it too declined.

This is the third time Chauvin's counsel has filed for postconviction relief. The first petition was dismissed in late 2025 and the second one was dismissed in May.

Former assistant Anoka County attorney helped operate sex trafficking organization, charges say

By Nicholas Lentz, 

Frankie McLister

Updated on: August 15, 2026 / 6:25 PM CDT / CBS Minnesota

A former assistant Anoka County attorney is accused of helping run a sex trafficking organization in Hennepin County, Minnesota, according to a criminal complaint filed on Thursday.

Andrea Leigh Sampson, 35, is charged with 13 counts each of promoting prostitution of an individual and receiving profits from prostitution, court records show. 

The criminal complaint said law enforcement agencies, including the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, started investigating the operation in 2021. Officials found that a 57-year-old man had been operating the organization with assistance from Sampson, a 30-year-old woman and a 36-year-old woman.

Law enforcement learned through their investigation that the man and the 30-year-old woman were "actively involved in recruiting and posting commercial sex advertisements for numerous women," set rates for appointments for "commercial sex transactions" and collected and received profits from the transactions, according to the court document.

The 36-year-old woman owned and operated the website Minnesota Erotica Personals, on which women have been "posted" for commercial sex transactions, the complaint said. She, along with the 30-year-old woman and the man, collected money from the victims posted on the website. 

Sampson helped create and maintain corporations that appeared to be shell companies used to hide and/or funnel profits from the organization, according to the court document. Proceeds from the organization were allegedly collected and deposited into accounts before they were moved into bank accounts, including those of the corporations Sampson created.

Per the complaint, at least two Minneapolis properties owned by Sampson were sites where photographs of victims were taken for the advertisements and where transactions happened. 

The court document, citing phone records, journal entries and other information gathered in the probe, said Sampson and the other two women appeared to believe they were in a romantic and/or sexual relationship with the man.

Law enforcement has spoken to at least 13 women who have been offered for commercial sex through the organization and provided money from their transactions to it, according to the complaint.

"Several of the victims reported to law enforcement the fact that a male yielding a gun showed up at times to help keep the victims in line after 'management' was displeased," the court document said.

In addition to Minneapolis, the organization has operated in Bloomington, Eden Prairie and St. Louis Park, according to the complaint.

Investigators also learned that Sampson, the man and the 36-year-old woman have also been operating "assisted living and/or autism sites" and are collecting money from the sites.

The Anoka County Attorney's Office said in a written statement that it was notified by law enforcement of the investigation on Feb. 25, while Sampson was still with the agency. It immediately placed her on administrative leave. 

According to the statement, Sampson's last day of employment with the attorney's office was on March 9. As of Friday, she's at the Hennepin County Jail. 

"It's a really troubling, and in some ways startling case"

Marvin Steele, who previously worked for Sampson, says he noticed strange behavior at his job with Homefelt Assisted Living.

"It was mostly communication through text message. She only came to pickup the clients and take them to an appointment. That's the only time you'll see her, really," Steele said. "It was known one of the clients does occasionally go and get a prostitute every now and then."

Steele says Sampson always touted herself as doing everything by the book.

"She loves to talk about how she does everything legally. She's a lawyer, knows what she's doing. She knows the law. It was funny to find out she's not doing everything legally," he said.

Rachel Moran, a professor of law and director of clinical education at the University of St. Thomas School of Law, says this case is unusual and disturbing.

"It's a really troubling and in some ways startling case," Moran said. "I absolutely think Anoka County Attorney's Office has an obligation to look at everything she was involved in."

Moran says considering Sampson's position, justice and accountability are of upmost importance.

"If someone in a position of power is involved in criminal activity, whether they're using their position of power or not, then certainly they should be held accountable," she said.

https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/assistant-anoka-attorney-charged-trafficking-operation/

Additional details:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BObojBSPPb4

Oxford Center Safety Director pleads no contest to involuntary manslaughter charge

August 18, 2026

By Sarah Wright

TROY — Late last month, Oxford Center Safety Director Jeffrey Mosteller pled no contest to one count of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of 5-year-old Thomas Cooper due to a hyperbaric chamber explosion.

The incident occurred Jan. 31 while Cooper was undergoing treatment in the chamber, which is prescribed for children and adults with a variety of health conditions, including autism, ADHD and autoimmune diseases. The hyperbaric chamber caught fire from within and exploded.

Following Cooper’s death, prosecutors considered charges of either second-degree murder or involuntary manslaughter against Mosteller, as well as Tamela Peterson — the owner of the Oxford Center — and Gary Marken, its primary management assistant. 

In addition, the chamber’s operator, Aleta Moffitt, was charged with one count of involuntary manslaughter and one count of intentionally placing false information on a medical records chart. 

Per the plea and sentencing agreement submitted to the 6th Circuit Court, Mosteller will be sentenced in the range of 19 months to 15 years in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Kwamé Rowe on Aug. 31. Mosteller’s attorney, Alona Sharon, was reached for comment but did not respond by press time.

Marken is next scheduled to appear before the court Sept. 1 for a pretrial hearing, while Peterson’s case is currently stayed by order of the court with her next appearance not yet scheduled. She was recently arraigned in Howell’s 53rd District Court on nine counts of health care fraud — false claim, following allegations that she knew of and benefitted from fraudulent practices such as billing for services not provided. 

As for the hyperbaric chamber explosion, a statement by the Michigan Attorney General’s Office noted there are strict safety protocols in place that must be followed prior to the operation of the machine, established by both the manufacturer and the National Fire Protection Association. 

Dana Nessel, the attorney general, said those protocols were ignored by Mosteller.

“A young child lost his life in a completely preventable tragedy because this defendant allowed an outdated device to operate in defiance of safety standards,” Nessel said in a statement. “While no outcome can reverse this loss, it is my hope that this conviction provides a sense of justice to Thomas’s family.”

https://www.candgnews.com/articles/police-courts-fire/oxford-center-safety-director-pleads-no-contest-to-involuntary-manslaughter-charge/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The article states:

&gt;>which is prescribed for children and adults with a variety of health conditions, including autism, ADHD and autoimmune diseases<<

This is not correct, hyperbaric chambers are NOT prescribed for autism, ADHD, or autoimmune disorders. This facility was doing it for these conditions but in those cases, it is snake oil sales. This company was gouging people. Hyperbaric chambers do not assist with those particular disorders. It's a great treatment for some disorders, but not those. It's similar to treating mental retardation with oxygen, it just isn't going to help.

The last article I posted on this person, it did not say what the plea deal was, this article does tell us it is 19 months to 15 years.

This case is so outragious and greedy, I hope all 4 people get the maximum possible sentences.

EAST CANTON, Ohio (WOIO/Gray News) - Ohio authorities say a woman has been arrested in connection with the death of a young boy from earlier this year at an unlicensed daycare.

According to the East Canton Police Department, 45-year-old Melanie Dimarzio was taken into custody on Tuesday on a charge of involuntary manslaughter.

The U.S. Marshals Service said it also assisted in Dimarzio’s arrest. However, no further details were immediately released.

Authorities say Melanie Dimarzio has been arrested in connection with the death of 8-month-old Grant Simmons.(WOIO)

Ohio authorities said their investigation started back in March when first responders were called about a baby not breathing.

According to the 911 call, the boy, identified as 8-month-old Grant Simmons, was taking a nap. But when the daycare operator went to wake him up, he was blue and not breathing.

When paramedics arrived, they began life-saving measures before taking Grant to Aultman Hospital, where he later died.

“The East Canton Police Department extends its deepest condolences to the family during this difficult time,” East Canton police shared at the time. “The department remains committed to conducting a thorough and complete investigation.”

Inside the home, officers learned the daycare facility operators were unlicensed, according to a complaint.

The complaint continued to say one of two operators disclosed she cared for between five and 10 children at the home in exchange for about $45 a day, paid in cash.

The operator told officers she did not use baby monitors or cameras, had no emergency plan in the event of a fire, had no CPR training and did not have appropriate supervision or sleeping arrangements for infants and toddlers, the complaint noted.

A temporary restraining order to shut down the unlicensed day care was granted 10 days after the 8-month-old’s death.

https://www.firstalert4.com/2026/07/22/woman-arrested-connection-with-death-8-month-old-unlicensed-daycare/

NY police bigwig accused of driving getaway car for her gangbanger son immediately fired

Published Aug. 4, 2026

 Updated Aug. 4, 2026, 2:34 p.m. PDT

See more of our coverage in your search results.

A high-ranking Westchester County police official who allegedly acted, with her husband, as her gangbanging son’s getaway driver at the scene of a Bronx shooting was fired Tuesday, officials announced.

Jennifer Lackard was canned from her post as the deputy police commissioner with the Mount Vernon Police Department just hours after she was busted for the bizzare family affair that the family allegedly planned out over a string of text messages.

Her immediate termination was directly tied to her criminal charges in aiding her 20-year-old son and “Slutty Gang” member in a bizzare family affair that also landed her son’s girlfriend in cuffs, sources said.

“Effective immediately, the City of Mount Vernon has terminated Jennifer Lackard’s employment,” the department said in a release.

“The allegations are unrelated to her duties with the Mount Vernon Police Department and do not stem from any conduct associated with the Department or the performance of her official responsibilities.”

Police say Lackard — a boss with the department’s Wellness Unit — and her husband, James Lackard, drove their gun-toting son, Chase Lackard, to Concourse on June 29 at 11:57 p.m. so he could fire at rival gang members, according to an indictment.

Jennifer Lackard was fired from her position as deputy police commissioner of the Mount Vernon Police Department.Mt. Vernon Police Department

Chase Lackard, 20, texted his mother directing her to be in front of the Hall of Justice as soon as he left — with the former police commissioner allegedly giving him advice on carrying out the crime. 

“You can’t just sit directly outside. It has to be timed right,” Jennifer Lackard allegedly instructed her son.

James Lackard was in the driver’s seat when Chase Lackard rolled down a window and discharged the semiautomatic firearm multiple times onto the public street toward other unnamed individuals, the documents allege.

The family then allegedly peeled off, stopping outside their home to change Chase Lackard’s clothing before going back inside.

Nobody was injured in the shooting, police said.

All three Lackards were charged with a slew of charges, including attempted murder, conspiracy and reckless endangerment.

Lackard was arraigned Tuesday on a grand jury indictment. Her bail was set at $75,000 and she is due in court Sept. 25.

Chase was waiting arraignment Tuesday afternoon.

His father, James Lackard, has not yet been arrested, with sources saying he is out of state.

Lackard’s alleged corruption is a sign of the “total dysfunction” of the Mount Vernon Police Department, argued Damon Jones, a 33-year veteran of the Westchester County Department of Corrections and publisher of Black Westchester Magazine.

“This is f–king embarrassing! I am embarrassed as a black law enforcement officer to see the dysfunction in a city that has a black mayor, a majority of black city council, a majority black police department that we have to see continuing dysfunction and just foolery in an organization that should be so professional,” Jones told The Post.

Lackard should have never been appointed to her leadership post, Jones continued, pointing out that her social work background was insufficient to kickstart the Wellness Unit of the troubled police department.

“Unfortunately, we see this with Democrats that they put people in positions — especially in law enforcement positions — that they shouldn’t be there,” said Jones.

Lackard was appointed as the Deputy Commissioner of the Wellness Unit when it was created in 2022.

At the time, she told News 12 that the precinct would respond to constituents suffering from mental health issues without implementing traditional police tactics.

Lackard allegedly drove a getaway car for her son after a Bronx shooting on June 29, 2026.

“A lot of the people we encounter are in a mental health crisis. Some are combatant, some are really, really aggressive and some are not. And some are frequent fliers because they don’t have support,” Lackard said.

The mom raked in $138,219 with the police department last year, according to SeeThroughNY.

Her son started his gangbanging while she was on the job — including when he pointed a gun at cops during a dispute in 2024.

Chase Lackard, a reputed member of the “Slutty Gang,” was shot twice in the leg by police and was later charged with criminal use of a firearm and menacing a police officer.

Only a year earlier, her troubled son, then 17, was also shot in the chest on a Bx5 bus in Soundview after fighting with three other youths, cops said at the time.

Chase Lackard allegedly flashed gang signs at the boys and then asked for their gang affiliation before allegedly trying to drag one of them off the bus.

One of them then shot him in the chest.

His mother has no prior criminal record. 

OCALA, Fla. (WCJB/Gray News) — A Florida man accused of using a leaf blower on an infant and bouncing the child to death has been indicted for murder.

James Westervelt, 38, was indicted on a first-degree murder charge two years after the death of a 6-month-old infant, according to Marion County court records filed by prosecutors on July 30.

Westervelt allegedly told investigators he used a leaf blower on the baby when the child was 2 months old because he thought it was funny, before the child’s August 2024 death.

James Westervelt, 38, was indicted on a first-degree murder charge.(Marion County Sheriff's Office)

Doctors attributed the death to blunt head trauma caused by bouncing the child.

Westervelt is in custody in Marion County and due back in court in September.

https://www.uppermichiganssource.com/2026/08/01/man-who-allegedly-admitted-using-leaf-blower-infant-indicted-murder-charge/

Trial date set:

OSWEGO, N.Y. — A case of an ex-DoorDash driver accused of filming a customer partially naked now has a trial date.

On Friday, an Oswego County Judge set the trial date for Olivia Henderson on Oct. 19. She is facing charges of unlawful surveillance and dissemination of an unlawful surveillance image.

Henderson's defense team is trying to have the case against her dismissed. Henderson is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 9 to hear the judge's decision on the defense's motion.

Henderson is accused of recording him while he was partially naked inside his home on Oct. 12, 2025. She was dropping off food at his home at the time. The allegations against her claim that she shared what she recorded on social media.

Henderson was 23-years-old at the time.

Investigators said the man was incapacitated and unconscious on his couch due to alcohol consumption and the video was taken from outside his home. The Oswego Police Department noted that the video gained widespread attention.

During the investigation, Henderson claimed she had been sexually assaulted by the customer. Police said their investigation determined no sexual assault occurred and the man fully cooperated with officers.

DoorDash suspended Henderson's account on Oct. 16, 2025, as the investigation continued. The customer's account was also suspended.

https://cnycentral.com/news/local/ex-doordash-driver-accused-of-filming-naked-customer-gets-trial-date

Oakland Circuit judge denies request to dismiss murder charge in hyperbaric death

Max Bryan

The Detroit News

July 22, 2026Updated July 23, 2026, 12:27 a.m. ET

Pontiac — The attorney for the CEO of a Troy medical facility where a 5-year-old boy died in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber explosion last year plans to file an appeal after an Oakland Circuit Court judge on Wednesday denied a request to dismiss the second-degree murder charge against his client.

Oxford Center CEO Tamela Peterson has been charged with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of 5-year-old Thomas Cooper in January 2025. Peterson is one of four Oxford Center employees charged in connection with Cooper's death, one of whom entered a no-contest plea this week.

Peterson's attorney Gerald Gleeson argued in Oakland County Circuit Court on Wednesday that Peterson's second-degree murder charge should be dismissed because Peterson did not meet the element of malicious intent in the charge. After Oakland County Circuit Judge Kwamé Rowe declined to dismiss the charge, Gleeson said he would file an interlocutory appeal with the Michigan Court of Appeals to try to get the charge removed.

Peterson was ordered to stand trial earlier this year, along with Oxford Center operations manager Gary Marken and safety director Jeffrey Mosteller. They're accused of not using standard safety practices for hyperbaric oxygen chambers, which killed Cooper, who was getting treatment at the Oxford Center's Troy location for ADHD and sleep apnea.

Mosteller pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter on Tuesday. His second-degree murder charge was dismissed. He faces up to 15 years in prison and will be sentenced Aug. 31.

Peterson's second-degree murder charge stemmed from her repeated refusal to require patients to use grounding straps to minimize static electricity and thus fires in the hyperbaric chamber, including when it was brought to her attention, according to Assistant Attorney General Chris Kessel. Attorney General Dana Nessel's office is prosecuting the case against the Oxford Center employees.

Gleeson argued Wednesday that Peterson's negligence did not amount to a murder charge because she believed static electricity was minimized without the grounding straps.

"That's what the government is hitching their wagon to, is that the safety strap wasn't used," said Gleeson.

Gleeson argued Wednesday that Peterson's "reckless disregard" that the state claims constitutes manslaughter, not second-degree murder. He claimed Peterson would have to have wanted Cooper to be harmed or killed for the second-degree murder charge to stand.

Kessel, on the other hand, argued the second-degree murder charge could rest on what Peterson "should have known, what they knew, and how they acted." He said an employee had brought concerns about not using the grounding straps to Peterson, but that Peterson called her out for being dissenting when she did.

Kessel also pointed to September testimony during a preliminary exam for Peterson and the other employees from hyperbaric expert Francois Burman, who said he's never seen a facility with a hyperbaric chamber operate without a grounding strap. He then referenced comments from Andrew Melnyczenko, the technical and safety director of hyperbaric and altitude medicine at the Mayo Clinic.

"He was angry and quite frankly offended at how things were being done at the Oxford Center," said Kessel.

"It's not the intent for wanting something bad to happen. It's the intentional neglect of professional standards," Kessel said of the murder charge.

Rowe ultimately sided with Kessel in his decision.

"The intent to do an act with disregard to life-threatening consequences is malicious intent," said Rowe.

Rowe stayed Peterson's case pending her appeal to the state court.

Gleeson said he would likely file the appeal within a week of Wednesday.

mbryan@detroitnews.com

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/oakland-county/2026/07/22/oakland-circuit-judge-denies-oxford-center-ceos-request-to-dismiss-murder-charge/91007300007/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jqc8O4jkjBg

Law & Crime update on Casper O'Brian, the 255+ 7 year old.

Latoya Washington, 37, was charged with manslaughter in connection with the death of her 4-year-old son

Published on June 26, 2026 07:01PM EDT

Oakland County

NEED TO KNOW

• Latoya Washington, 37, was charged with manslaughter in connection with the death of her 4-year-old son
• The boy suffered seizures before his death on Jan. 25, 2026
• Prosecutors allege the boy’s death was caused by a “grossly negligent failure to provide necessary medical care”

A Michigan mother is facing a manslaughter charge after she allegedly failed to give her 4-year-old son seizure medication, resulting in his death.

Latoya Washington, 37, was released from custody on a $20,000 bond on Tuesday, June 23, WDIV reported.

According to The Detroit News, she was ordered to wear a GPS tether upon her release and is due back in court on July 2.

"This case is a heartbreaking reminder that children, especially those with medical conditions, depend entirely on the adults responsible for their care," Southfield Police Chief Elvin Barren said in a statement, per the outlet. "Parents and caregivers must take medical concerns seriously, follow treatment plans, and seek immediate medical attention when a child’s condition worsens. A vulnerable child cannot advocate for themselves, and it is our collective responsibility to ensure their safety and well-being."

Washington's son was taken to the hospital on Jan. 23, 2026, after he suffered multiple seizures and was prescribed medication to stop any future episodes, CBS News reported. Washington allegedly discharged her son from the hospital against medical advice, police said, according to the outlet.

Police said Washington failed to give the boy the prescribed medicine and he experienced more seizures on Jan. 24 and Jan. 25, per CBS News.  

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Emergency personnel were dispatched to Washington’s home in Southfield on Jan. 25, where they found the boy not breathing. He was taken to the hospital where he died, officials said, Detroit News reported.

Prosecutors allege the boy’s death was caused by a “grossly negligent failure to provide necessary medical care,” WDIV reported.