Wife of Ex-Cop Derek Chauvin Reportedly Filing for Divorce
The wife of Derek Chauvin – the former Minneapolis police officer charged with murder in the death of George Floyd – has filed for divorce. The announcement came just hours after Chauvin was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
Kellie Chauvin released a statement through her attorney Friday night that cut right to the point: “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.”
According to the Twin Cities Pioneer Press, the divorce filing cites an “irretrievable breakdown of the marriage.” The couple had been married since June 2010 – almost exactly ten years.
The filing shows Kellie Chauvin separated from her husband on May 28 – three days after George Floyd died beneath Derek Chauvin’s knee, and one day before the murder charges were announced. Shes requesting to change her last name, though the documents dont specify what name shes choosing.
For those who dont know Kellie’s backstory – shes a Laotian refugee who came to America as a child. She won Mrs. Minnesota in 2018 and was profiled in the Pioneer Press as someone who bought groceries for police officers, rescued animals, and volunteered with a nonprofit supporting Hmong women. In that same profile, she described her husband as a “softie” and a “gentleman.”
That profile reads very differently now.
Kellie has two children from a previous marriage. Her attorney asked that they, along with her elderly parents and extended family, be given “safety and privacy during this difficult time.” The country is still reeling from the video of George Floyd’s death – eight minutes and forty-six seconds that changed everything. Protests have erupted in Minneapolis and cities across America. Buildings are burning. The National Guard has been deployed.
And in the middle of all that, a marriage ended. Quietly. Decisively. A wife distancing herself from a husband whose name will forever be associated with this moment in history.
I dont know what happens next. Nobody does. But I know this story isnt anywhere close to over.
