Elon Musk Says Derek Chauvin Was ‘Unjustly Convicted’ and Should Be Freed Despite the Medical Examiner Ruling George Floyd’s Death a Homicide
Elon Musk is publicly calling for former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin to be released from prison, claiming Chauvin was “unjustly convicted” in the 2020 killing of George Floyd.
The billionaire made the declaration Wednesday on X, escalating his previous support for reconsidering Chauvin’s conviction into an outright demand for his freedom.
“Unjustly convicted of murder, therefore he should be freed,” Musk wrote, arguing that Chauvin did not cause Floyd’s death and did not intend for anyone to die.
“That is the truth,” Musk added.
Derek Chauvin was unjustly convicted of murder, therefore he should be freed.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 19, 2026
The facts show that he was not the cause of death, nor did he at any time intend for a death to occur. Whatever else he may be, he is not a murderer.
That is the truth.
By Friday morning, Musk’s post had received roughly 13.5 million views.
His comments come as Chauvin launches another effort to overturn his Minnesota murder conviction. Chauvin’s attorneys filed a new petition this week seeking to vacate his conviction and dismiss the charges, raising arguments over the authority used to prosecute the case and other alleged procedural and constitutional violations.
The latest filing does not overturn Chauvin’s conviction, which remains in effect.
Musk’s Claim Conflicts With the Medical and Legal Record
Musk did not provide evidence supporting his assertion that Chauvin did not cause Floyd’s death.
The Hennepin County Medical Examiner ruled Floyd’s death a homicide, determining that he died from cardiopulmonary arrest complicated by law enforcement subdual, restraint and neck compression.
A Minnesota jury convicted Chauvin in April 2021 of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter after a widely watched trial centered on Floyd’s May 25, 2020 death.
Video of Floyd’s killing showed Chauvin kneeling on the handcuffed Black man’s neck and upper back for more than nine minutes as Floyd repeatedly said he could not breathe. The footage sparked demonstrations across the United States and around the world and turned Floyd’s name into a rallying cry against police brutality and racial injustice.
Chauvin also separately pleaded guilty to federal charges of violating Floyd’s civil rights.
That federal conviction is independent of his Minnesota murder conviction and remains another significant part of the legal record surrounding Floyd’s death.
Chauvin Makes Another Attempt to Overturn Conviction
Chauvin’s latest petition asks Minnesota courts to vacate his conviction and dismiss the state charges against him.
His attorneys argue, among other claims, that the assignment of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison to the prosecution violated Chauvin’s due process rights and that prosecutors improperly proceeded without a grand jury indictment.
The arguments are allegations raised by Chauvin’s legal team, not findings that his conviction was improper.
Chauvin has previously challenged his conviction through Minnesota courts. His convictions have remained intact.
Musk’s intervention also follows earlier conservative efforts to secure clemency for Chauvin. When conservative commentator Ben Shapiro pushed for a federal pardon last year, Musk amplified the proposal, calling it “something to think about.”
This week, Musk removed that qualification entirely.
A Presidential Pardon Would Not End Chauvin’s State Sentence
Even a presidential pardon would have limits.
Presidential clemency applies only to federal convictions. It cannot erase Chauvin’s Minnesota conviction or state prison sentence.
Chauvin is serving concurrent state and federal sentences, meaning overturning or pardoning his federal conviction alone would not automatically free him from custody.
For many Black Americans, Musk’s comments revive arguments surrounding a killing that became one of the defining moments of the modern racial justice movement.
Millions watched the footage of Floyd’s final moments. Six years later, one of the world’s most influential billionaires is using one of the world’s largest social media platforms to argue that the officer convicted in his death should be freed.
Musk did not address the medical examiner’s homicide determination, Chauvin’s state conviction or his separate federal guilty plea when asserting that Chauvin was not responsible for Floyd’s death.
