George Floyd’s 7-year-old daughter Gianna testifies on a cell phone video before former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of her father George Floyd during a sentencing ceremony in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, on the 25th picture from the video.
Pool via Reuters
A Minnesota judge on Friday sentenced former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin to 22 and a half years in prison for the murder of George Floyd.
The conviction began on Friday afternoon with emotional statements from the victim’s relatives about the impact on the victim, and Chauvin himself offered “condolences” to the Floyd family.
Hours earlier, a judge denied a motion to retrial Chauvin whose brutal murder of Floyd, a black man whose death was videotaped on Jan.
“I ask about him all the time,” said Floyd’s 7-year-old daughter Gianna in a video shown at the beginning of the sentencing.
When asked what she would say to her father if she could see him, Gianna said in the video: “I miss you and I love you.”
Chauvin held his knee on or near Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes as the 46-year-old was on the floor while holding him on suspicion of using a fake invoice to make a purchase while three other police officers were out Minneapolis stood next to it.
“He’s telling Mr. Chauvin, ‘I can’t breathe, I’m dying,'” Minnesota Assistant Attorney General Matthew Frank said at the conviction. “That’s nine and a half minutes of cruelty for a man who begged for his life.”
Floyd’s brother Terrence Floyd turned to Chauvin after asking the judge to impose a maximum sentence of 40 years and saying he wanted to ask “why?”
“What did you think? What did you think the day you had your knee on my brother’s neck?” Terrence asked Floyd, who sometimes paused to regain his composure.
“When you knew he was no longer threatening. When he was handcuffed? Why didn’t you at least get up?
Chauvin said in a very brief statement during the sentencing: “I cannot make a full statement at this time, but I would like to express my condolences to the Floyd family.”
“There will be some other information in the future that will be of interest and I hope things will give you some peace of mind,” said Chauvin.
Former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin speaks at his conviction hearing and the judge while awaiting his conviction after speaking on a still image for murder in Floyd’s death in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, on June 25, 2021 convicted on video.
Pool via Reuters
Prosecutors have asked the judge to sentence Chauvin to 30 years in prison.
That’s a decade less than the maximum possible sentence he faces for second degree murder, the heaviest of the three charges on which he was found guilty by a jury on April 20 after the trial.
The jury also convicted Chauvin of third degree murder and second degree manslaughter.
Chauvin’s attorney is calling on the judge to give the 45-year-old white ex-cop, who has been in prison since last year, to probation.
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Chauvin’s alleged prison sentence under Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines is 12½ years.
Chauvin’s mother, Carolyn Pawlenty, said: “It has been difficult for me to hear and read what the media, public and prosecutors think is an aggressive, heartless and indifferent person. I can tell you that is far from the truth . “
“My son’s identity has also been reduced as a racist. I want this court to know that none of this is true and that my son is a good man,” said Pawlenty.
The shocking video of Floyd’s death, widely spread by news media and social media, sparked a wave of major protests against police brutality and systemic racism across the country.
The three other now ex-cops involved in Floyd’s arrest, Tou Thao, J. Alexander Keung and Thomas Lane, were originally due to be tried in August for aiding and abetting murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s death. This process is now scheduled for next March.
In this image from the video, Philonise Floyd, George Floyd’s brother, becomes emotional as Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill is on trial in the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis on Friday, June 25, 2021 while testifying about the impact of the victims Presiding against the conviction is former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin, who was convicted on the death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020.
Court TV via AP | swimming pool
Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill postponed the trial in light of a May state criminal complaint filed against the three officers and Chauvin for violating Floyd’s civil rights. The judge said he wanted to handle the federal case first and also wanted to put some time between Chauvin’s state trial and that of the other three police officers.
On Friday, in his decision to deny a retrial for chauvin, Cahill wrote that Chauvin’s attorney, Eric Nelson, had failed to demonstrate that the judge committed errors that deprived chauvin of fair trial or that prosecutors had committed wrongdoing.
Cahill also denied a defense request for a hearing on possible jury misconduct, saying Chauvin’s attorney failed to determine that a juror made false testimony in jury selection.
This is the latest news. Check back for updates.
