'Free Chauvin': Elon Musk Calls George Floyd Killer's 22-Year Sentence 'Unjust' and Demands His Release

Elon Musk has called for the release of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted over George Floyd's death, arguing on August 19 that Chauvin's 22.5-year state prison sentence is 'unjust'. Musk claimed Chauvin was not responsible for Floyd's death and 'is not a murderer', despite court findings and Chauvin's own federal guilty plea contradicting key parts of that argument.

The intervention came as Chauvin's legal team pursued another attempt to challenge his conviction. According to reports published this week, his latest petition raises constitutional and procedural arguments about the prosecution that led to his conviction. A previous post-conviction petition was denied in May 2026.

Elon Musk on Why Derek Chauvin Must be 'Free'

Musk made his comments on X, saying, 'Free Chauvin.' He then asserted that 'the facts show that he was not the cause of death, nor did he at any time intend for a death to occur'.

Musk did not provide sources for the claim that Chauvin did not cause Floyd's death. That matters because the medical and legal records in the case reach a very different conclusion. But in another post, Musk claimed that the former police officer called an ambulance, while replying to a statement that says it's a 'flagrant injustice.'

The US Department of Justice said Floyd died after Chauvin used unreasonable force while acting as a police officer. In federal proceedings, Chauvin pleaded guilty in December 2021 to violating Floyd's constitutional rights, acknowledging that his conduct resulted in Floyd's death and that he had acted with 'callous and wanton disregard' for the consequences to Floyd's life.

The federal case was separate from the Minnesota murder conviction, but it is an important part of the record. Chauvin later received a federal sentence of more than 20 years, to run concurrently with his state sentence.

The Minnesota Attorney General's Office has also documented the state case. A Hennepin County jury convicted Chauvin of second-degree unintentional murder and second-degree manslaughter in April 2021. He was sentenced two months later to 270 months, or 22.5 years, in prison.

Derek Chauvin's Conviction Has Already Survived Appeal

The central question surrounding Musk's intervention is not simply whether Chauvin remains imprisoned. It is whether the conviction he wants overturned has already been tested through the courts.

In April 2023, the Minnesota Court of Appeals unanimously upheld Chauvin's convictions for second-degree unintentional murder and second-degree manslaughter. The state Attorney General's Office said the ruling followed a full appeal of the case.

The official record also details what happened on May 25, 2020. Federal prosecutors said Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd's neck for nine minutes and 29 seconds while Floyd was handcuffed and lying on the ground. Floyd repeatedly pleaded for help and eventually lost consciousness and a pulse. Emergency responders attempted to revive him before he was pronounced dead at the hospital.

The county medical examiner determined that Floyd's death was a homicide caused by cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression.

That finding directly conflicts with Musk's assertion that Chauvin was not the cause of death.

The latest legal challenge is nevertheless separate from Musk's personal assessment. Chauvin's new petition reportedly argues that his original prosecution was constitutionally flawed, including claims concerning prosecutorial authority, the grand jury process, jurisdiction and judicial conduct. Those are legal allegations, not findings that have overturned his conviction.

Chauvin has also remained in federal custody after being stabbed 22 times by another inmate at a federal prison in Tucson in 2023, according to the source article.

For now, nothing in the latest proceedings confirms Musk's claim that Chauvin should be released or that his conviction was wrongful. The established court record remains that Chauvin was convicted of murder, the conviction was upheld on appeal, and he separately pleaded guilty in federal court to violating Floyd's civil rights in conduct that he acknowledged resulted in Floyd's death.