This afternoon, Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill sentenced former Minneapolis police officer and convicted murderer Derek Chauvin to 22 1/2 years (270 months) in prison for killing native Houstonian George Floyd. Judge Cahill did explain his rationale for the sentencing in a 22-page legal memorandum and in court stated that his decision was not based off emotion or public opinion, but the law. He credited Chauvin with the 199 days he had already served.
Chauvin was facing 40 years in prison and the prosecutors requested a 30-year sentence, but Judge Cahill settled on the 22 ½ year sentence which according to Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison “is one of the longest a former police officer has ever received for an unlawful use of deadly force” and a “moment of real accountability.”
In court, Judge Cahill acknowledged the pain that all the families are feeling, especially the Floyd family, as well as the pain this case has caused the state and the country.
Chauvin showed no emotion when the sentence was read and was lead out of the courtroom, noticeably without being handcuffed by members of law enforcement, which is usually done.
Floyd family attorney Benjamin Crump issued a statement along with the Floyd family stating:
“For once, a police officer who wrongly took the life of a Black man was held to account.” .
The Floyd family and their attorneys are also calling on the U.S. Department of Justice to seek that Chauvin be convicted on the federal civil rights charges he also has to contend with.