Derek Chauvin Sentenced to 22.5 Years in Prison for Murder of George Floyd

Former Minneapolis police officerDerek Chauvinwas sentenced to 22.5 years in prison for the murder ofGeorge Floyd, a Black man whose 2020 death caught on viral video sparked the nation’s largest civil rights protests in decades along with continued conversation about police brutality and racial justice. Judge Peter A. Cahill said the length of the sentence, which exceeded the state’s sentencing guidelines that recommended 12.5 years, owed to Chauvin’s “abuse of a position of trust and authority, and also the particular cruelty shown to George Floyd.

Derek Chauvin Told Witness Who Confronted Him After Killing, 'That's Just One Person's Opinion'

Derek Chauvin, at left, and Charles McMillian.Photo: Uncredited/AP/Shutterstock (2) “You can’t win,” McMillian, 61, could be heard saying on video played Wednesday in the trial of a former officer,Derek Chauvin, charged with Floyd’s murder. But McMillian’s tone shifted as he watched almost the entirety of Floyd’s detention, which ended as paramedics drove away with Floyd’s lifeless body after he was handcuffed and held facedown on the pavement while Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes.

Derek Chauvin's Attorney Asks Minnesota Appeals Court to Void Guilty Verdict in George Floyd's Killing

Derek Chauvin in court June 25, 2021, at his sentencing.Photo: ALEX LEDERMAN/AFP via Getty Derek Chauvin’s attorney has asked a Minnesota appeals court to toss the ex-officer’s murder convictions in the death ofGeorge Floyd. Attorney William Mohrman spoke before a three-member panel on the Minnesota Court of Appeals on Wednesday and argued that extensive pre-trial publicity made it impossible forChauvin to get a fair trial in 2021, according to National Public Radio.

Derek Chauvin's Murder Conviction Draws Attention to Misleading Police Report of George Floyd's Death

George Floyd, at left, and Derek Chauvin.Photo: Splash Before the video ofGeorge Floyd’s murder went viral, the Minneapolis policeposted a press releaseon their website with a very different story of what happened between Floyd and officerDerek Chauvin. The news release was entitled, “Man Dies After Medical Incident During Police Interaction,” and the narrative said that Floyd — who was not named — “physically resisted officers” and was “under the influence.”

Derek Chauvin's Use of Force Was 'In No Way, Shape or Form' Proper, Police Chief Testifies

Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo, testifying April 5, 2021, in the murder trial of Derek Chauvin.Photo: Uncredited/AP/Shutterstock On Monday, the Minneapolis police chief disavowed that use of force. “Once Mr. Floyd had stopped resisting, and certainly once he was in distress and trying to verbalize that, that should have stopped,” Chief Medaria Arradondo testified in the ongoing trial for his former officer. He added: “It is not part of our training, and it is certainly not part of our ethics or our values.