From our correspondent in the United States,
Since the death of George Floyd a year and a month ago, hundreds of thousands of people have chanted “no justice, no peace” on the streets of Minneapolis and around the world. On Friday, justice delivered its verdict: the former police officer Derek Chauvin, convicted of second degree murder last April, was sentenced to 22 and a half years of imprisonment (270 months). Under Minnesota law, this sentence carries a two-thirds safety period. This means that if he behaves well, Derek Chauvin will be eligible for parole after 15 years – he would then be 60 years old. He now has 90 days to appeal. As throughout his trial, Derek Chauvin remained without reaction.
The moment the judge announced the sentence of Derek Chauvin, sentenced to 270 months (22.5 years in prison) for the murder of George Floyd. Impassive chauvin #ChauvinSentencing #GeorgeFloyd pic.twitter.com/zhDkhXpwNK
– Philippe Berry (@ptiberry) June 25, 2021
Before the sentencing was announced, George Floyd’s daughter Gianna, 7, said she “missed” her father in a pre-recorded video. In the courtroom, two brothers of the deceased, Philonise and Terrence Floyd, asked for “the maximum sentence”. Philonise Floyd wiped away tears with her handkerchief as she told of “reliving every day” the murder of her brother. The accused refused to make a “formal declaration” because of the other judicial aspect underway at the federal level. Derek Chauvin, however, turned to George Floyd’s family to express his “condolences”. Just before, his mother had testified, assuring that her son was “a good man” and that he was “not racist”.
Upcoming trial for the other police officers
The prosecution had taken 30 years, and the defense had asked for a reduced sentence to the time already served. For unintentional murder, the Minnesota sentencing schedule recommended a sentence of between 10 and 15 years in prison. But Judge Cahill retained four aggravating factors, notably estimating that Derek Chauvin, by remaining for nearly 10 minutes with his knee on George Floyd’s neck, had “abused his position of trust and authority” and demonstrated ‘a “great cruelty”.
Friday morning, before announcing his decision, Judge Cahill rejected the defense’s request to quash the trial, ruling that it had not proven that Derek Chauvin had not been entitled to a fair trial. He also refused to call a hearing to discuss the bias of one of the jurors who failed to report his participation in a march against police violence.
This trial of Derek Chauvin was only the first part of a legal marathon. His three ex-colleagues will be tried in Minnesota in March 2022 for “complicity in murder”. The four men have also been charged federally with “violation of the constitutional rights” of George Floyd and are expected to be tried later.