Derek Chauvin, a former cop of Minneapolis, has been sentenced for George Floyd’s murder on June 16.
On Tuesday, Chauvin was convicted of all the charges brought against him, including the unintentional murderer of second-degree. third-degree murder, and manslaughter of second-degree.
Chauvin faces a potential 40-year prison term for second-degree murder, but Minnesota parole guidelines indicate he will receive no longer than 15 years due to his lack of prior criminal history. He will have 90 days to appeal all of his convictions.
Chauvin was found guilty in the high-profile trial as he had put his knee on the back of Floyd’s neck for almost ten minutes during an arrest in Minneapolis on May 23, 2020. Onlookers videotaped the incident, with some pleading with Chauvin to remove his knee from Floyd, who said he was having difficulty breathing and requesting help.
The videos went viral last summer, sparking mass protests against police killings, especially of Black people.
Three days after the incident occurred, on May 29, Chauvin was arrested and charged by the Minneapolis Police Department.
Chauvin, who was wearing a mask inside Minneapolis’s Hennepin County Courthouse, made no comment on the guilty verdict. His bail was then revoked, and he was handcuffed and led out of the court through a side door.
The defense called seven of the witnesses but not Derek Chauvin, who refused to testify in accordance with the Fifth Amendment. The defense counsel, Eric Nelson contended that Chauvin’s use of power was justified, that he was diverted by hostile spectators, and that Floyd had died for reasons unrelated to the incident.
The other three former officers charged with assisting in the murder of second-degree and manslaughter of second-degree are Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng, and Tou Thao. This summer, their joint trial is expected to begin.
John Stiles, a spokesperson to Ellison has said that If the judge determines that certain conditions have been met, he can deviate from the criteria and sentence Mr. Chauvin to a term greater than the prescribed sentence.
Additionally, on Friday evening, an order sealing the jurors’ names was filed. Six months of jury secrecy are guaranteed. If the court wishes to disclose the facts, it must obtain permission from the jury.
Except for one juror who agreed to an interview with KSTP in Minneapolis, the jurors have remained quiet up to this point.
Under the officer’s foot, the 46-year-old Black man struggled for oxygen, repeatedly yelled “I can’t breathe,” and finally fell silent.
