A Minnesota appeals court on Monday upheld the conviction of Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis police officer found guilty of killing George Floyd, an African American, in 2020, an incident that sparked a wave of violent protests in the United States and demonstrations of solidarity across the country. around the world, Reuters reports.

On Monday, a Minnesota court denied a motion by Chauvin’s lawyers for a new trial.

Chauvin’s attorneys listed 14 different issues in an appeal filed Monday with the Minnesota Court of Appeals, including the fact that the judge in the trial in which he was convicted refused to move the trial from Hennepin County, which includes the city of Minneapolis.

The ex-cop’s defense team says the jury’s decision was influenced by media coverage of Floyd’s death and the trial.

“Extraordinary media coverage exposed jurors on a daily basis to news stories that demonized Chauvin and glorified Floyd, which was more than sufficient to infer prejudice,” said the appeal filed by Derek Chauvin’s attorneys.

On June 25, Chauvin was sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison after a jury last year found him guilty of killing George Floyd three years ago.

The 12 jurors — seven women and five men — of various ethnicities who deliberated Monday in a Minneapolis court found Derek Chauvin guilty of three counts of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and negligent homicide.

Chauvin faces a maximum prison term of 40 years on these charges.