Derek Chauvin, the former police officer who killed George Floyd on a Minneapolis street last year, was sentenced Friday to 22 and a half years in prison..
Chauvin, 45, was convicted in April on charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for his role in Floyd’s death.
Hennepin County District Court Judge Peter Cahill said he would issue a 22-page memorandum explaining his rationale for the sentence, saying it’s “not the appropriate time” to be “profound or clever,” according to ABC News.
His sentence went 10 years beyond what was called for in sentencing guidelines.
Cahill said that was “based on your abuse of a position of trust and authority and also the particular cruelty shown to George Floyd.”
Before announcing the sentence, Cahill told the Floyd family, ““I acknowledge and hear the pain that you’re feeling.”
Brandon Williams, Floyd’s nephew, also spoke to the court Friday, stating that it was “humanly impossible” for him to say what his uncle’s murder had done to him and his family. “The heartbreak and hurt goes far beyond any number of tears we could ever cry,” Williams said, adding that his family was “forever broken.”
Floyd’s brother, Terrance Floyd, spoke directly to Chauvin during his statement, asking the former cop what he was going through his head “when you had your knee on my brother’s neck?”
CBS News reported that Chauvin attempted to console Floyd’s family.
“Due to additional matters at hand, I am not able to give a full formal statement at this time, but very briefly though, I do want to give my condolences to the Floyd family. There is going to be some other information in the future that would be of interest and, I hope things would give you some peace of mind — thank you,” he said.
“This sentence is pivotal for the future of police-brutality cases,” Christopher Brown, a lawyer who represents victims of police violence in Virginia, told The Daily Beast. “It’s going to give people the confidence to speak out against it and to increase the amount of pushback. This also sends a signal to law enforcement officers across the country that this behavior is not tolerated—and they will be held liable if they do.”
Prosecutors for the state of Minnesota have requested a 30-year prison sentence, saying it “would properly account for the profound impact of Defendant’s conduct on the victim, the victim’s family, and the community,” according to a sentencing memo.
Chauvin’s defense attorney, Eric Nelson, argued that the former officer should instead receive probation and time served, or at least a sentence less than what the law guides.
