Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin will be sentenced in court today for the murder of George Floyd. Judge Peter Cahill will announce Chauvin’s sentence at 1:30 pm at the Hennepin County Government Center in downtown Minneapolis.
On April 20, a 12-person jury found Chauvin guilty of second-and third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd’s killing. The videotaped murder sparked national and international outrage and spurred a movement against police violence and an end to systemic racial injustice.
As a former police officer without a criminal history, per state guidelines, Chauvin would’ve likely served between 128 months to 180 months if no aggravating factors were considered. However, the prosecution asked Judge Cahill to consider five aggravating factors that warrant a stiffer sentence beyond state guidelines.
Judge Cahill agreed with four out of the five factors. While Cahill ruled that the prosecution did not prove that Floyd was particularly vulnerable, he ruled that the prosecution proved that:
- Chauvin abused a position of trust and authority as a licensed peace officer of the Minneapolis Police Department.
- Chauvin treated Floyd with particular cruelty due to the length of time and manner of Floyd’s death by “positional asphyxia,” and the indifference he showed towards Floyd’s pleas for help.
- Children were present during the commission of the offense.
- Chauvin committed the crime as a group with the active participation of at least
three other persons.
Chauvin is one of four former Minneapolis police officers charged with the murder of Floyd. The trial for the three other officers charged in Floyd’s murder has been scheduled for March 7, 2022.
Click above for Court TV’s live feed of the Derek Chauvin sentencing.
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