Former Minneapolis police officerDerek Chauvinwas sentenced to 22.5 years in prison for the murder ofGeorge Floyd, a Black man whose 2020 death caught on viral video sparked the nation’s largest civil rights protests in decades along with continued conversation about police brutality and racial justice.
Judge Peter A. Cahill said the length of the sentence, which exceeded the state’s sentencing guidelines that recommended 12.5 years, owed to Chauvin’s “abuse of a position of trust and authority, and also the particular cruelty shown to George Floyd.” In a written sentencing memo, Cahill said Chauvin “treated Mr. Floyd without respect and denied him the dignity owed to all human beings.”
For the most serious second-degree murder conviction, he faced up to 40 years in prison. But for first-time offenders such as Chauvin with no criminal history, Minnesota state sentencing guidelines recommend a penalty of 12-and-a-half years.
Prosecutors had asked Cahill to sentence Chauvin to 30 years, writing in a court filing that while such a sentence would be “double the upper limit of the presumptive range,” it “would properly account for the profound impact of defendant’s conduct on the victim, the victim’s family, and the community.”
Hours before Chauvin was sentenced,Cahill denied Chauvin’s request for a new trial, KARE11 reports.
George Floyd.Ben Crump Law Firm
“But at the same time,” he said, “I want to acknowledge the deep and tremendous pain that all of the families are feeling, especially the Floyd family.”
Floyd, 46, was killed May 25, 2020, during his detention in Minneapolis for allegedly using a counterfeit $20 bill at a corner convenience store. The verdict followed a prosecution that replayed over and over what millions around the world had seen, propelling them into the streets in protest: the video of Chauvin, his hands in his pockets and his sunglasses perched atop his head, with Floyd underneath him crying out for his dead mother and repeatedly gasping, “I can’t breathe.”
President Joe Bidencalled Chauvin’s conviction “a giant step forward in the march towards justice in America,” andmet with members of Floyd’s family at the White Houseafter the verdict. The response to Floyd’s death also led Congress to considerlegislation bearing Floyd’s namethat would ban police chokeholds in certain cases and create a national registry of police misconduct.
Derek Chauvin.Minnesota Department of Corrections/AP/Shutterstock
After a trial that riveted the nation unlike any other in recent memory, 12 jurors – six white, four Black, and two who identified themselves as mixed race – voted unanimously to convict him of all charges.
Chauvin was fired a day after the killing. Three other now-former officers on the scene with Chauvin – J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao – were all charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, and are scheduled to be tried next year. All have pleaded not guilty.
Floyd’s 7-year-old daughter says ‘I miss him and I love him’
Prior to the sentencing for Chauvin, who is still is under investigation for federal charges, said, “I am not able to give a full statement at this time, but very briefly, I want to give my condolences to the Floyd family. There is going to be some other information in the future that will be of interest and I hope things will give you some peace of mind.”
His mother, Carolyn Pawlenty, also addressed the court, saying her son “has played over and over in his head the events of that day, I have seen the toll it has taken on him. I believe a lengthy sentence will not serve Derek well. When you sentence my son, you will also be sentencing me.”
Floyd’s brother, Philonise Floyd, said, “My family and I have been given a life sentence. We will never be able to get George back.”
Floyd’s brother Terrence addressed Chauvin, asking, “Why? What were you thinking? What was going through your head when you had your knee on my brother’s neck? When you knew that he posed no threat any more, and he was handcuffed, why didn’t you at least get up?”
His cousin, Brandon Williams said, “George Floyd’s murder, this trial and everything in between has been tragically devastating. Our family is forever broken.”
Floyd’s 7-year-old daughter Gianna Floyd said she asks “about my daddy every day.” She said he helped her brush her teeth every night, but said “mean people did something to him.”
“I miss him and I love him,” Gianna said.
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source: people.com
