(ConservativeFreePress.com) – A judge ruled that federal inmate John Turscak, who is charged with having stabbed former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Arizona, would be allowed to represent himself during the trial.
Last November, Turscak had used a makeshift knife to stab Chauvin 22 times. The former officer is in prison for the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, which led to Black Lives Matter protests across the country.
NBC News was the first to report this week that Tursak’s request to waive his right to legal representation had been granted. Judge Lynnette Kimmins had stated that the inmate would still be granted a standby counsel or adviser, as well as given access to tools, law books, and witnesses in preparation for his defense.
Chauvin was sent to FCI, which is a medium-security prison, in August 2022 where he was set to serve sentences for second-degree murder and for having violated the civil rights of George Floyd. Previously, the Supreme Court had rejected the appeal by Chauvin against his murder conviction.
Turscak has revealed that he had spent a month thinking of how to hurt Chauvin who is a high-profile inmate. He has stated that the reason he chose “Black Friday,” which is the day after Thanksgiving, to carry out his plan was to showcase the Black Lives Matter movement.
Following the assault, he was charged with attempted murder and a variety of different assault charges.
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