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Chauvin Gets 22 1/2 Years In Prison For George FloydтАЩs Death

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Chauvin Gets 22 1/2 Years In Prison For George FloydтАЩs Death
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By AMY FORLITI and STEVE KARNOWSKI, The Associated Press.

Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin has been sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison for the murder of George Floyd, whose dying gasps under ChauvinтАЩs knee led to the biggest outcry against racial injustice in the U.S. in generations.

The punishment handed out Friday fell short of the 30 years that prosecutors had requested.

With good behaviour, Chauvin, 45, could be paroled after serving two-thirds of his sentence, or about 15 years.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. APтАЩs earlier story follows below.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) тАФ Former police Officer Derek Chauvin broke his long courtroom silence Friday as he faced sentencing for the murder of George Floyd, offering condolences to FloydтАЩs family and saying he hopes more information coming out will give them тАЬsome peace of mind.тАЭ

Chauvin, who did not testify at his trial, removed his COVID-19 and turned toward the Floyd family, speaking only briefly because of what he called тАЬsome additional legal matters at handтАЭ тАФ an apparent reference to the federal civil rights trial he still faces.

тАЬBut very briefly, though, I do want to give my condolences to the Floyd family. ThereтАЩs going to be some other information in the future that would be of interest. And I hope things will give you some some peace of mind,тАЭ he said, without elaborating.

Chauvin attorney Eric Nelson called FloydтАЩs death тАЬtragic,тАЭ and that ChauvinтАЭs тАЬbrain is littered with what-ifsтАЭ from the day: тАЬWhat if I just did not agree to go in that day? What if things had gone differently? What if I never responded to that call? What if what if what if?тАЭ

FloydтАЩs family members took the stand and expressed sorrow about his death. They asked for the maximum penalty.

тАЬWe donтАЩt want to see no more slaps on the wrist. WeтАЩve been through that already,тАЭ said a tearful Terrence Floyd, one of FloydтАЩs brothers.

FloydтАЩs nephew Brandon Williams said: тАЬOur family is forever broken.тАЭ And FloydтАЩs 7-year-old daughter, Gianna, in a video played in court, said that if she could say something to her father now, it would be: тАЬI miss you and and I love you.тАЭ

Prosecutor Matthew Frank asked the judge to exceed sentencing guidelines and give Chauvin 30 years in prison, saying тАЬtortured is the right wordтАЭ for what the officer did to Floyd.

тАЬThis is not a momentary gunshot, punch to the face. This is 9┬╜ minutes of cruelty to a man who was helpless and just begging for his life,тАЭ Frank said.

ChauvinтАЩs mother, Carolyn Pawlenty, took the stand to plead for mercy for son, saying his reputation has been unfairly reduced to that of тАЬan aggressive, heartless and uncaring personтАЭ and a racist.

тАЬI can tell you that is far from the truth,тАЭ she told the judge. тАЬI want this court to know that none of these things are true and that my son is a good man.тАЭ She added: тАЬDerek, I want you to know I have always believed in your innocence, and I will never waver from that.тАЭ

тАЬI will be here for you when you come home,тАЭ she said.

The concrete barricades, razor wire and National Guard patrols at the courthouse during ChauvinтАЩs three-week trial in the spring were gone Friday, reflecting an easing of tensions since the┬аverdict in April. Still, there was recognition that the sentencing was another major step forward for Minneapolis since Floyd died on May 25, 2020.

тАЬBetween the incident, the video, the riots, the trial тАФ this is the pinnacle of it,тАЭ said Mike Brandt, a local defense attorney who closely followed the case. тАЬThe verdict was huge too, but this is where the justice comes down.тАЭ

Chauvin was convicted of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for pressing his knee against FloydтАЩs neck for up to 9 1/2 minutes as the 46-year-old Black man gasped that he couldnтАЩt breathe and went limp.

Bystander video of FloydтАЩs arrest on suspicion of passing a counterfeit $20 bill at a corner store prompted protests around the world and led to scattered violence in Minneapolis and beyond.

Minnesota sentencing guideline┬аs called for 12 1/2 years, but Judge Peter Cahill agreed with prosecutors ahead of FridayтАЩs proceedings that there were aggravating circumstances that could justify a heavier punishment тАФ among them, that Chauvin treated Floyd with particular cruelty, abused his position of authority as a police officer and did it in front of children.

The defense requested probation, saying Chauvin was the product of a тАЬbrokenтАЭ system and тАЬbelieved he was doing his job.тАЭ

With good behaviour, Chauvin could get out on parole after serving about two-thirds of his sentence.

Before the sentencing, the judge denied ChauvinтАЩs request for a new trial. Defense attorney Eric Nelson had argued that the intense publicity tainted the jury pool and that the trial should have been moved away from Minneapolis.

The judge also rejected a defense request for a hearing into possible juror misconduct. Nelson had accused a juror of not being candid during jury selection because he didnтАЩt mention his participation in a march last summer to honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Prosecutors countered the juror had been open about his views.

Ben Crump, an attorney for the family, said relatives were тАЬanxious and tenseтАЭ ahead of the proceedings. тАЬTo us, George Floyd is a cause. HeтАЩs a case. HeтАЩs a hashtag. To them тАФ thatтАЩs their flesh and blood. You know, that thatтАЩs their brother,тАЭ Crump said.

It was unclear whether Chauvin would break his long silence and speak at his sentencing. Some experts had expressed doubt he would say anything because of the risk his words could be used against him in the federal case. No date for that trial has been set.

But Brandt said Chauvin could say a few words without getting into legal trouble. тАЬI think itтАЩs his chance to tell the world, тАШI didnтАЩt intend to kill him,тАЩтАЭ the attorney said. тАЬIf I was him, I think I would want to try and let people know that IтАЩm not a monster.тАЭ

Chauvin did not testify at his trial. The only explanation the public heard from him came from body-camera footage in which he told a bystander at the scene: тАЬWe got to control this guy тАЩcause heтАЩs a sizable guy тАж and it looks like heтАЩs probably on something.тАЭ

Philip Stinson, a criminal justice professor at Bowling Green State University, said 11 non-federal law officers, including Chauvin, have been convicted of murder for on-duty deaths since 2005. The penalties for the nine who were sentenced before Chauvin ranged from from six years, nine months, to life behind bars, with the median being 15 years.

With ChauvinтАЩs sentencing, the Floyd family and Black America faced something of a rarity: In the small number of instances in which officers accused of brutality or other misconduct against Black people have gone to trial, the list of acquittals and mistrials is longer than the list of sentencings after conviction.

In recent years, the acquittals have included officers tried in the deaths of Philando Castile in suburban Minneapolis and Terence Crutcher in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Two mistrials were declared over the death of Samuel Dubose in Cincinnati.

тАЬThatтАЩs why the world has watched this trial, because it is a rare occurrence,тАЭ said Arizona-based civil rights attorney Benjamin Taylor, who has represented victims of police brutality. тАЬEverybody knows that this doesnтАЩt happen every day.тАЭ

Several people interviewed in Minneapolis before ChauvinтАЩs sentencing said they wanted to see a tough sentence.

Thirty years тАЬdoesnтАЩt seem like long enough to me,тАЭ said Andrew Harer, a retail worker who is white. тАЬI would be fine if he was in jail for the rest of his life.тАЭ

Joseph Allen, 31, who is Black, said he would like to see Chauvin get a life sentence, adding that he hopes other police officers learn тАЬnot to do what Derek Chauvin did.тАЭ

As for whether she would like to hear Chauvin speak, Levy Armstrong said: тАЬFor me as a Black woman living in this community, thereтАЩs really nothing that he could say that would alleviate the pain and trauma that he caused. тАж I think that if he spoke it would be disingenuous and could cause more trauma.тАЭ

Chauvin has been held since his conviction at the stateтАЩs maximum-security prison in Oak Park Heights, where he has been kept in a cell by himself for his own protection, his meals brought to him.

The three other officers are scheduled for trial in March on state charges of aiding and abetting both murder and manslaughter.

After news broke of ChauvinтАЩs sentencing, a number of celebs and public figures reacted with mixed emotions:

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