Defense's Medical Expert In Derek Chauvin Trial Faces Maryland Lawsuit

CBS Minnesota

April 18, 2021

The former chief medical examiner for Maryland who testified on behalf of the officer accused of killing George Floyd is a defendant in a federal lawsuit over the death of a man who died under circumstances similar to Floyd.

Dr. David Fowler was chief medical examiner in Maryland for 17 years before retiring in 2019.

He served as a key defense witness for Officer Derek Chauvin. Fowler testified that he would have ruled Floyd’s cause of death as “undetermined” rather than homicide. He also testified that Floyd’s heart disease contributed to his death, contradicting prosecution experts who cited asphyxiation as a result of Chauvin’s knee being pressed into Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes.

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