Chauvin Defense Implies George Floyd May Have Called Out For Girlfriend, Not Mother, In Final Moments

The defense attorney for Derek Chauvin, accused of murder in the death of George Floyd, seemed to imply that Floyd may have been calling out to his girlfriend, not his mother, in his final moments.

“You and Mr. Floyd, I’m assuming like most couples had pet names for each other?” Chauvin attorney Eric Nelson asked Courteney Ross, Floyd’s girlfriend. Ross answered that they did, and Ross then asked: “What were you saved in his phone as?”

“Mama,” an emotional Ross answered after a moment.

Nelson did not have any additional questions about Floyd’s nickname for Ross at the time, but about five minutes later, prosecutor Matthew Frank dug a little deeper.

“Incidentally, what did [Floyd] call his mother? What did he refer to her as?” Frank asked Ross.

“He called her mama too, but it’s just different, the way he said it,” Ross said. “It’s kind of hard to describe.”

“So if he were to say to somebody, ‘Mama,’ that could mean his actual mother?” Frank asked.

“Yes,” Ross answered.

“Which is also a name he called you,” Frank added.

“Yes,” Ross said.

In May 2020, the death of George Floyd while in police custody set off marches, demonstrations, and protests worldwide. Video shows Chauvin, now a former Minneapolis police officer, kneeling on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes, as Floyd repeatedly said he couldn’t breathe and called out for his mother.