Derek Chauvin sentenced over George Floyd murder
Derek Chauvin has been sentenced over the murder of George Floyd after a judge denied the former policeman’s last-minute request for a new trial.
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Former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin has been sentenced to 22.5 years in jail over the 2020 murder of George Floyd.
“This is based on your abuse of your position of abuse of authority and also the particular cruelty you’ve shown to George Floyd,” Judge Peter Cahill said as he handed down the sentence in Minneapolis.
“I want to acknowledge the deep and tremendous pain that all the families are feeling, especially the Floyd family.”
The sentencing came after Chauvin, wearing a light gray suit, white shirt and a freshly shaved head, delivered a brief statement apologising to the Floyd family.
“Due to some additional legal matters at hand, I am not able to give a full formal statement at this time, but briefly, I want to give my condolences to the Floyd family,” Chauvin told the court.
“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. Thank you.”
Prosecutors had asked for a 30 year sentence, and Chauvin’s lawyer asked for probation and time served. Chauvin was convicted in April of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
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.
The lawyer for Floyd’s family hailed a “historic” step towards racial reconciliation as the sentence was announced.
“This historic sentence brings the Floyd family and our nation one step closer to healing by delivering closure and accountability,” lawyer Ben Crump tweeted.
Earlier, a Minneapolis judge denied Chauvin’s request for a new trial just hours ahead of his sentencing in the murder of George Floyd, according to US reports.
Defence lawyers for Chauvin had filed the motion in an apparent attempt to stave off sentencing and also requested a hearing over potential jury misconduct, which Judge Peter Cahill also denied.
Sentencing began Friday afternoon local time with victim impact statements from four members of George Floyd’s family — two of his brothers, his nephew and his daughter.
Prosecutor Jerry Blackwell started the proceedings by presenting Floyd’s seven-year-old daughter Gianna, who presented her statement via video.
“I ask about him all the time,” she said. “I miss you and I love him.”
Mr Blackwell also presented statements from Floyd’s brother Terrence Floyd and nephew Brandon Williams.
“Our family is forever broken,” Mr Williams said, requesting Chauvin to receive the maximum penalty, a sentiment echoed by George Floyd’s brother.
“We don’t want to see no more slaps on the wrist,” Terrence Floyd said. “What was going through your head when you had your knee on my brother’s neck?”
Finally, brother Philonise Floyd was the last to give an impact statement, and he too asked for the judge to hand down the maximum sentence.
“For an entire year, I had to relive George being tortured to death,” he said. “My family and I have been given a life sentence. We will never be able to get George back.”
Chauvin’s mother, Carlyon Pawlenty, spoke in support of her son.
“It has been difficult for me to hear and read what the media, public, and prosecution team believe Derek to be an aggressive, heartless and uncaring person,” she said.
“The public will never know the loving and caring man that he is but his family does. Even though I have not spoken publicly, I have always supported him 100 per cent and I always will,” she said.
My son’s identity has also been reduced to that as a racist. I want this court to know that none of these things are true and that my son is a good man.”
Chauvin could be ordered behind bars for 30 years when he is sentenced for the murder of George Floyd, a killing that sparked America’s biggest demonstrations for racial justice in decades.
Minnesota law provides for a minimum sentence of 12.5 years for the white, 45-year-old killer, who has been jailed since being convicted on three counts of murder and manslaughter two months ago.
But Judge Peter Cahill identified aggravating circumstances that could signal a much heavier punishment.
He said Chauvin had “abused his position of trust and authority,” treated Floyd with “particular cruelty” in front of minors and “committed the crime as a group with the active participation of at least three other” police officers.
Chauvin and three colleagues arrested Floyd, 46, in May last year on suspicion of having passed a fake $20 bill in a store in Minneapolis, a city of around 420,000. They handcuffed him and pinned him to the ground in the middle of the street.
Chauvin then knelt on the back of Floyd’s neck for nearly 10 minutes, indifferent to the dying man’s groans and to the pleas of distraught passers-by.
The scene, filmed and uploaded by a young woman, quickly went viral. After weeks of home confinement due to the Covid-19 pandemic, hundreds of thousands of people poured onto streets across the country and also overseas, to demand an end to racism and police brutality.
It took weeks for the mass demonstrations to taper off, but the debate around the pressing social issues remains vivid in the United States, where US President Joe Biden has been slow to come up with the police reforms he promised during his campaign.
Late Thursday, Republican and Democratic politicians announced that after weeks of negotiations they had come up with “an agreement on a framework addressing the major issues for bipartisan police reform.”
“Over the next few weeks we look forward to continuing our work toward getting a finalised proposal across the finish line,” the members of Congress said in a statement.
‘GOOD FAITH’
Chauvin’s trial was closely followed by millions across the US. The former police officer, who was present for the full six weeks of his trial, did not testify. His lawyer said he had followed police procedures in force at the time and that Floyd’s death was due to health problems exacerbated by drug use.
The jurors were not convinced and took less than 10 hours to convict. Their decision was greeted with a huge sigh of relief across America — many had feared an acquittal would lead to worse unrest, while others feared that once again a white police officer would get away with what they saw as murder.
Ahead of the sentencing, Chauvin’s lawyer Eric Nelson pleaded that his client made “an error in good faith” and requested a reduced sentence to time already served, which would allow his client to be released immediately.
But the prosecution cited Chauvin’s “particularly cruel” conduct and called for the maximum of 30 years.
Whatever the decision, the defence will appeal the verdict, Nelson has said, citing doubts over the impartiality of some jurors.
Neither will the case end with Chauvin: his three former colleagues will face trial in March 2022 on charges of complicity in homicide.
In parallel, the four men also face federal charges of violating Floyd’s constitutional rights. No date has yet been set for that trial.
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