Derek Chauvin's pageant wife Kellie doesn't want a penny from him and wants to change her name after divorce
After filing for divorce with ex-cop Derek Chauvin, who has been charged with murder and manslaughter of George Floyd, his estranged wife said in a court filing that she doesn’t want any money or financial assistance from her soon-to-be-former spouse and wants to change her name legally.
According to court papers obtained by The Sun, Kellie Chauvin, 45, and Derek Chauvin, 44, both waived their rights to "temporary or permanent spousal maintenance," from each other. The former Mrs Minnesota said in the filing that she "is full (sic) capable of supporting herself,” despite being an unemployed realtor at the moment.
Kellie listed the reason for the end of their 10-year-long marriage as “irretrievable breakdown” of their relationship. She filed for divorce just three days after Derek was seen in a presently-viral social media video kneeling on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes that caused the latter to pass out and eventually be declared dead on May 25.
The court papers also stated that Kellie had applied to change her name, as part of the divorce proceedings. "As part of this proceeding, Petitioner shall adopt a new legal name. She is seeking a name change solely because of this marriage dissolution," the filing said, without mentioning what she will be changing her name to.
On the same day that Derek was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, Kellie released a statement via a lawyer on Friday, May 29.
The statement released by Sekula Law Offices said: "This evening, I spoke with Kellie Chauvin and her family. She is devastated by Mr. Floyd’s death and her utmost sympathy lies with his family, with his loved ones and with everyone who is grieving this tragedy. She has filed for dissolution of her marriage to Derek Chauvin." The statement further added that "while Ms. Chauvin has no children from her current marriage, she respectfully requests that her children, her elder parents, and her extended family be given safety and privacy during this difficult time."
In a shocking and viral video clip, Floyd was repeatedly saying that he was unable to breathe as he was pinned to the ground by Chauvin who was kneeling on his neck. Floyd had been arrested by the four police officers for allegedly using forged documents at a local deli. "Please," the man can be heard pleading. "Please, please I can't breathe." The four cops who were involved have been identified as Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao, and J Alexander Kueng.
His death has sparked outrage and anger across the country with protesters demanding justice. In the wake of the ongoing unrest, Derek Chauvin was transferred to Oak Park Heights Prison, which is Minnesota's only Level Five maximum security facility. The prison houses around 400 inmates and has never had an escape so far. It has also been regarded as one of the country's safest and has had one homicide in its history. Chauvin was due to appear in court on Monday, June 1, according to a Daily Mail report. However, since Minneapolis is still gripped by violence, it was pushed back to June 8.
Earlier, sources told TMZ that Chauvin was being kept in isolation and being watched constantly at the Ramsey County Adult Detention Center. His movements in the cell were being monitored by a CCTV camera 24/7 and he was also being checked in person by security guards every 15 minutes.