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Derek Chauvin defense says 'space aliens' may have caused George Floyd's death, Internet goes on a meme fest

Social media users started asking questions after the closing arguments, making the way for some hilarious memes

When Derek Chauvin's guilty verdict was announced for the murder of George Floyd, it was a cause for celebration for Black Lives Matter supporters everywhere. But in closing statements at the trial, the defence attorney for Chauvin, Eric Nelson, made a rather unusual remark that had all of social media either confused or laughing.

In the defence’s closing statement at the George Floyd trial, Chauvin’s attorney Eric Nelson said "space aliens flew in, inhabited the body of Derek Chauvin and caused this death". What does that even mean, social media users started asking, making the way for some hilarious memes. 

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What is the 'space aliens' defence? 

In order to explain the burden of proof to the jury, Nelson decided to use the example of "space aliens". The attorney called the example of space aliens inhabiting Chauvin’s body as "obviously fanciful and capricious", which therefore could not be a basis for reasonable doubt.

The highest standard is proof "beyond a reasonable doubt". Nelson explained, "Essentially what the state has to convince you is that the evidence in this case completely eliminates any reasonable doubt - or in other words leaving only unreasonable doubt, capricious, unpredictable, fanciful - space aliens flew in and inhabited the body of Derek Chauvin, that's fanciful."

The jury had to prove that Derek Chauvin was guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, as Chauvin’s lawyer, Eric Nelson, stated, "As you analyze the evidence in this case, you would simply have to find that any defense that has been advanced is unreasonable. I submit to you that the state has failed to meet its burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt."

"You must look at those facts which a reasonable officer in the same situation would have known at the precise moment the officer acted with force," he said. "You must decide if the officer's actions were reasonable in light of the totality of the facts and circumstance in front of the officer and without regard to the officer's own state of mind, intention or motivations."

Social media reacted in many ways - ranging from confusion and sheer mockery to anger. 

"Derek Chauvin’s defense attorney, Eric Nelson’s closing argument is centered around “reasonable doubt”. He just used “space aliens flew in and inhibited the body of Derek Chauvin and caused the death” to illustrate an example capricious and fanciful doubt. Disgusting," one user tweeted alongside a video of Nelson's statements. "Space aliens flying in and possessing Derek Chauvin’s body are about the only way I’d believe that was an accident," another user commented. 

Another user wrote, "MY GUY WHAT?!!! SPACE ALIENS?!? THIS was Derek Chauvin’s attorney?! @KamalaHarris, lock him up, ASAP! #DerekChauvinTrial". Many suggested it was actually a ruse. "Derek chauvin’s lawyer was smart as hell for bringing up dumb shit like space aliens, bro was definitely trying to get him locked up." A user tweeted with a funny video, "Derek Chauvin's lawyer after telling the judge he was possessed by space aliens:"