John Turscak: Inmate who stabbed Derek Chauvin 22 times in prison plans to serve as own defense attorney

TUCSON, ARIZONA: John Turscak, an ex-Mexican gang member alleged to have stabbed Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis police officer sentenced to 22.5 years in connection with the 2020 death of George Floyd, is seeking to serve as his own defense attorney in his attempted murder trial.

Legal records indicate that legal representatives assigned to Turscak have submitted a motion in the Arizona federal court seeking to step down from the high-profile case, citing his desire to appear "pro se," a Latin term indicating an individual's intent to represent themselves in legal proceedings.

John Turscak's plans to serve as his own defense attorney

However, the motion does not provide any explanation as to why Turscak, facing charges of attempted murder, assault with intent to commit murder, and assault with a dangerous weapon for the November 24 stabbing, wishes to part ways with his federally funded legal team. 

On January 5, Turscak entered a plea of not guilty for the ruthless attack, in which he stabbed Chavin 22 times, that took place in the law library at the Tucson, Arizona, penitentiary, where he was serving a 30-year sentence for various crimes while acting as a federal informant.

Unraveling narrative of John Turscak's prison attack

The criminal complaint details that Turscak expressed to corrections officers "that he would have killed DC [Chauvin] had they not responded so quickly." The weapon used in the attack was described as an "improvised knife."

Intriguingly, Turscak later retracted his initial statement about wanting Chauvin dead during an interview with the FBI. However, he boasted that the assault occurred on "Black Friday," a date he deemed “symbolic with the Black Lives Matter movement and the ‘Black Hand’ symbol associated with the Mexican Mafia criminal organization.”

As the legal proceedings unfold, the motive behind Turscak's decision to represent himself remains unclear. The attempted murder trial is set to be a closely watched case, given its connection to the high-profile Floyd incident and the subsequent attack on Chauvin.