Florida Man Admits Threatening to Kill Chauvin’s Lawyer for Representing ‘Fucking Murderer’

A 42-year-old Florida man has admitted that he threatened to kill the lawyer who represented Derek Chauvin in the George Floyd murder trial. On Thursday, the Justice Department issued a statement that said William John Hartnett called the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association—the group that funded Chauvin’s defense—on April 6. In an 18-second message, Hartnett threatened to kill Eric Nelson, Chauvin’s defense lawyer, and his entire family. Hartnett yelled: “Hey you and your whole fucking family are going to fucking die, you motherfucker, for representing Chauvin, a fucking murderer. Now, you all are going to fucking die a worse death than Floyd, you motherfucker. All of you piece[s] of shit.” Hartnett pleaded guilty to one count of transmitting a threat through interstate communications and faces a maximum sentence of five years in jail.