Inmate Charged For Stabbing Derek Chauvin Defends Self In Trial

John Turscak Allegedly Claimed He Stabbed Derek Chauvin On Black Friday For “Black Lives Matter”

Source: Alexander Semenov / Getty

There are still more questions than answers about the Derek Chauvin stabbing, but not because John Turscak isn’t talking. According to federal prosecutors, the Arizona inmate had plenty to say about the attack that took place on Nov. 24. He seemingly revealed some of his mysterious reasons for how and why he targeted the convicted killer.

As BOSSIP previously reported, Turscak allegedly spent weeks planning to stick Chauvin like a pig. He claimed he selected “Black Friday” because it was “symbolic with the Black Lives Matter movement and the ‘Black Hand’ symbol associated with the Mexican Mafia criminal organization,” which he used to be part of.

When the day arrived, authorities reported a fellow inmate repeatedly stabbed Chauvin in the law library with an “improvised knife.” When questioned by FBI agents two days after the attacks, Turscak waived his Miranda rights in the interview.

According to prosecutors, Turscak “denied wanting to kill D.C. However, Turscak stated that he had been thinking about assaulting D.C. for approximately one month because D.C. is a high-profile inmate.”

The criminal complaint continued, “Turscak told corrections officers that he would have killed D.C. [Chauvin] had they not responded so quickly.”

Turscak Sang A Different Tune In Court After Allegedly Admitting To The “Shanksgiving” Stabbing Of Derek Chauvin

Despite past statements seemingly confessing to carving up Chauvin, Turscak pleaded not guilty in court on Jan. 5. With the 52-year-old acting as his own attorney, this trial will be a memorable one. Magistrate Judge Lynnette C. Kimmins agreed to excuse his public defenders in a hearing on Jan. 11.

Federal prosecutors are trying to lock everything down with a protective order “to seal the crime scene video and photographs from the public,” according to Radar Online. 

“The video could also reveal the identity of inmate witnesses. The crime scene photos, taken after the attempted murder and after the victim was transported to the hospital, are graphic because of the amount of blood depicted,” the motion said.

When the news broke that Chauvin’s attacker only had a few years left in his sentence, many comments suspected that Turscak felt safer behind bars. In 1997, he agreed to snitch on the Mexican Mafia for an investigation that led to charges for more than 40 people associated with the Mexican Mafia. Then, Turscak burned bridges with the FBI, too.

The feds withdrew Turscak’s deal for admitting to “dealing drugs, extorting money, and authorizing assaults” while working as an informant. He received a 30-year sentence in a plea deal for racketeering and conspiracy to commit murder. There were only 2.5 years left until his scheduled release on June 3, 2026.

If Turscak’s legal defense goes like the attempted murder itself, he might stay locked up even longer than Chauvin’s remaining 20-year sentence.