On Friday, a Minnesota judge sentenced former police officer Derek Chauvin to 22-1/2 years in jail for the murder of George Floyd on a Minneapolis sidewalk in May 2020, a video of which generated worldwide outrage.
The reports state that Judge Peter Cahill, who handed down the punishment in a Minneapolis court after prosecutors sought a 30-year sentence, stated, “The penalty is not based on feeling or sympathy.”
In a brief speech, he noted that it was also not based on “public opinion,” but rather on the law and the facts of the case.
After a trial that was generally regarded as a watershed moment in the history of US policing, a jury found Derek Chauvin, 45, guilty of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter on April 20.
Prosecutors had requested a 30-year prison sentence, which was more than double the maximum allowed by sentencing guidelines for a first-time offender. Probation had been requested by the defense.
The video showed Derek Chauvin, a white man, kneeling for more than nine minutes on the neck of Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man in handcuffs, sparked indignation throughout the world and sparked the largest protest movement in the United States in decades.
Prosecutors from the Minnesota attorney general’s office noted in a sentencing memorandum that Derek Chauvin’s crime “struck the nation’s conscience.”
Floyd’s family has spoken in court about their agony and loss.
Floyd’s family spoke out in court earlier Friday, expressing their grief at his death and asking for the harshest punishment possible for Chauvin.
“We don’t want to see any more wrist slaps. “We’ve been through it before,” Terrence Floyd, one of Floyd’s brothers, said through tears.
Floyd’s nephew Brandon Williams.
“Our family is forever broken,” said Floyd’s nephew Brandon Williams.
Floyd’s 7-year-old daughter, Gianna, said that if she could say anything to her father right now, it would be: “I miss you and i love you.
In a video played in court, Floyd’s 7-year-old daughter, Gianna, said that if she could say anything to her father right now, it would be: “I miss you and i love you.
Prosecutor Matthew Frank asked the judge to go above and beyond the standards and sentence Chauvin to 30 years in jail, claiming that the officer “tortured” Floyd.
“This isn’t a quick bullet or a strike to the face.
“THIS IS 912 MINUTES OF CRUELTY TO A HELPLESS MAN WHO WAS PLEADING FOR HIS LIFE,” FRANK EXPLAINED.
Chauvin’s mother begs for forgiveness.
Carolyn Pawlenty, Chauvin’s mother, testified that her son’s image had been wrongfully tarnished as “an aggressive, callous, and insensitive person” as well as a racist.
She informed the judge, “I can tell you that is far from the truth.” “I want this court to know that none of these allegations are true, and that my son is a decent man,” she says. “Derek, I want you to know that I have always believed in your innocence, and I will never change my mind,” she continued.
“I WILL BE HERE FOR YOU WHEN YOU COME HOME,” SHE SAID.
The concrete barricades, razor wire, and National Guard patrols that were present at the courthouse throughout Chauvin’s three-week trial in the spring had been removed by Friday, indicating a de-escalation of emotions since the April verdict.
