Derek Chauvin, the ex-Minneapolis police officer, who killed George Floyd, has been sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison.
Gatekeepers News reports that Judge Peter Cahill pronounced the judgement on Friday night.
Chauvin (a White) had on May 25, 2020, knelt on Floyd’s (a Black) neck for about 9 minutes while he was handcuffed until he suffocated to death. The incident was recorded by passersby and widely shared, sparking an international protest against police brutality and an end to racism.
In April, the 45-year-old was found guilty on all three charges; second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter and Minnesota law stipulate that he will only be given a sentence for the severest of the three because they all arise out of the same behaviour.
There are statewide sentencing guidelines in Minnesota that determine what are called “presumptive sentences” which offer guidelines for two decisions, whether to send someone to prison and for how long.
Technically, Chauvin faced up to 40 years in prison for second-degree murder, up to 25 years for third-degree murder and up to 10 years for manslaughter.
In Chauvin’s case, because he has no criminal history of convictions, his presumptive sentence for both second-degree and third-degree murder is 12 1/2 years.
Gatekeepers News reports that earlier in court, four family members of Floyd, including his 7-year-old daughter, gave victim impact statements.
Gatekeepers news reports that before Chauvin was sentenced, he extended his condolences to Floyd’s family in court.
“Briefly, though, I do want to give my condolences to the Floyd family,” he said.
