TUCSON, Ariz. — A grand jury in Arizona has indicted a man accused of stabbing Derek Chauvin 22 times in federal prison.
The indictment, filed Tuesday, shows that 52-year-old John Turscak faces charges of attempted murder, assault with intent to commit murder, assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Turscak was initially charged in early December.
Documents allege that Turscak stabbed Chauvin with an “improvised knife” in the law library of the Tuscon Federal Correctional Institution on Nov. 26. In a post-Miranda interview with FBI agents, he said he had been thinking of assaulting Chauvin for approximately one month because of his high-profile nature.
He saw his opportunity on Black Friday, and said he attacked Chauvin on that day because it was symbolic of the Black Lives Matter movement and the “Black Hand” symbol associated with the Mexican Mafia, charges allege.
Turscak is serving a 30-year prison sentence for carrying out crimes while working as a federal informant. His arraignment in Chauvin’s stabbing is set for Jan. 5.
Chauvin returned to prison custody in early December. He’s serving a 22-year sentence for the murder of George Floyd.
Chauvin’s legal team said they are working to get him removed from the Tuscon prison unless major changes are made.
NOTE: Featured video is from Dec. 4, 2023
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- Derek Chauvin
- Death of George Floyd
