Current:Home > MyDerek Chauvin was stabbed 22 times in federal prison attack, according to new charges -FinTechWorld
Derek Chauvin was stabbed 22 times in federal prison attack, according to new charges
View
Date:2025-04-12 13:24:47
MINNEAPOLIS — The inmate who stabbed former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in federal prison last week did so 22 times, with an improvised knife, according to recently filed criminal charges. He also admitted to corrections officers that he would have killed Chauvin had they not responded as quickly as they did.
The U.S. Attorney's Office identified the alleged perpetrator as 52-year-old John Turscak. He now faces charges of attempted murder, assault with intent to commit murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, and assault resulting in serious bodily injury.
Chauvin was badly hurt after he was stabbed in a federal prison one week ago; the charging documents indicate the stabbing happened in the law library at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson, Arizona. Chauvin is currently serving his 22-year sentence there. The former police officer was convicted of killing George Floyd during an arrest in May 2020.
A WCCO source earlier this week said that Chauvin was hospitalized following the attack, but was said to be in stable condition.
RELATED: Who is John Turscak, man accused of stabbing Derek Chauvin 22 times?
The Associated Press reports that Turscak told investigators that he attacked Chauvin on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, as a symbolic connection to the Black Lives Matter movement and the "Black Hand" symbol associated with the Mexican Mafia gang, prosecutors said. Turscak is serving a 30-year sentence for crimes committed while a member of that Mexican Mafia gang.
However, in contrast to what corrections officers reported, Turscak told FBI agents that even though he'd been thinking about assaulting Chauvin for a month because he is a high-profile inmate, he denied wanting to kill him.
Derek Chauvin stabbing charges - Dec. 1, 2023 by WCCO - CBS Minnesota on Scribd
An attorney for Turscak was not listed in court records and Turscak, who has represented himself in numerous court matters from prison, remained in custody on Friday.
Chauvin's attorney Greg Erickson, who complained over the weekend that his family was not notified of the stabbing until well after the news broke, told WCCO Friday that they were "extremely disappointed they allowed this to happen" and that it was "not shocking" that someone would target Chauvin. Erickson reiterated that the prison should have done more to prevent it from happening.
WCCO spoke with Chauvin's attorney Greg Erickson on the phone Friday evening. He says this was his biggest fear for Chauvin and that it didn't matter what prison he was sent to.
"The fact that it happened, and he got stabbed 22 times supposedly under their protection is evidence that they weren't taking the obligation to protect him serious," Erickson said.
Erickson says at this point he's hearing information from the news. In fact, WCCO told him about these new charges.
"We are hearing second and third hand from news agencies," Erickson said. "It's incredibly frustrating."
Meanwhile, documents detail Turscak's troubled past.
In 1990, he committed a homicide at Folsom State Prison. Eight years later, he took various steps to authorize the murder of another man.
RELATED: Derek Chauvin's stabbing raises further questions on federal prison security
Documents also state, during his time in the Mexican Mafia, he collected taxes from street gangs and drug dealers in return for mafia protection.
One year later, he worked as an undercover FBI informant against that very gang. But the FBI dropped him when he kept dealing drugs and authorizing assaults.
Turscak is serving a 30-year sentence.
Chauvin's legal team says they are working to get him removed from that facility unless major changes are made.
It's not clear if Chauvin will be moved to a different federal prison. During both of his federal and state criminal proceedings, Chauvin's defense attorney asked he be sentenced to a federal prison in or near Minnesota to be closer to his family. Visits at the Tuscon prison are still suspended in the aftermath of the stabbing.
The FBI spearheaded the investigation into the stabbing, and the prosecution is being handled by the U.S. Attorney's Office District of Arizona in Tucson.
Chauvin is now the second high-profile federal prisoner to be stabbed in recent months, after Larry Nassar, convicted of molesting members of the U.S. women's national gymnastics team, was stabbed in a Florida federal prison in July.
- In:
- Derek Chauvin
- Death of George Floyd
Esme Murphy, a reporter and Sunday morning anchor for WCCO-TV, has been a member of the WCCO-TV staff since December 1990. She is also a weekend talk show host on WCCO Radio. Born and raised in New York City, Esme ventured into reporting after graduating from Harvard University.
Twitter FacebookveryGood! (9499)
Related
- Global Warming Set the Stage for Los Angeles Fires
- 1 family hopes new law to protect children online prevents tragedies like theirs
- Mass shooting leaves one dead, 24 hurt in Akron, Ohio; police plead for community help
- Jack in the Box tackles fast-food inflation by launching $4 munchies menu
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- WNBA upgrades hard hit on Caitlin Clark, fines Angel Reese for media violation
- Climate Change is Fueling the Loss of Indigenous Languages That Could Be Crucial to Combating It
- CEOs got hefty pay raises in 2023, widening the gap with the workers they oversee
- Friday the 13th luck? 13 past Mega Millions jackpot wins in December. See top 10 lottery prizes
- Stock market today: Asian shares start June with big gains following Wall St rally
Ranking
- Why we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
- Watch local celebrity Oreo the bear steal snacks right out of resident's fridge
- BIT TREASURE: Bitcoin mining, what exactly are we digging for? Comprehensively analyze the mining process and its impact
- Stock splits: The strange exception where a lower stock price can be better for investors
- 2 killed, 3 injured in shooting at makeshift club in Houston
- Florida eliminates Alabama, advances to semifinals of Women's College World Series
- Climate solution: Massachusetts town experiments with community heating and cooling
- Chad Daybell sentenced to death for murdering first wife, stepchildren in 'doomsday' case
Recommendation
Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
Stock splits: The strange exception where a lower stock price can be better for investors
Rupert Murdoch ties the knot for the 5th time in ceremony at his California vineyard
Garry Conille arrives in Haiti to take up the post of prime minister
McKinsey to pay $650 million after advising opioid maker on how to 'turbocharge' sales
Armed Groups Use Deforestation as a Bargaining Chip in Colombia
Shoshana Bean opens up about aging in the entertainment industry and working with Alicia Keys
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Bi Couples