Derek Chauvin Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Violating George Floyd’s Civil Rights
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Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced Thursday to just over 20 years in federal prison for violating George Floyd’s civil rights in connection with his 2020 killing, and for violating the civil rights of a Minneapolis teenager years earlier.
Senior U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson sentenced Chauvin, 46, to 245 months in federal prison, which will be served concurrently with his 22.5-year state prison sentence. Before imposing the sentence, Magnuson told Chauvin, “I really don’t know why you did what you did. But to put your knee on another person’s neck until they expire is simply wrong, and for that conduct you must be substantially punished,” the Star Tribune reported.
A Minnesota jury convicted Chauvin of two counts of murder in April 2021, after bystander video showed him kneeling on Floyd’s neck for nine minutes on May 25, 2020, even after Floyd – handcuffed in the prone position, and lying on the hard street – stopped breathing. Before he died, Floyd repeatedly cried out that he couldn’t breathe. The video of Floyd’s killing sparked massive riots in Minneapolis, protests against racism and police brutality around the country, and calls to defund police departments.
In December, while already serving his state sentence, Chauvin pleaded guilty to federal civil rights charges stemming from Floyd’s killing, avoiding another trial. As part of the plea agreement, Chauvin faced a sentence between 20 and 25 years. He could have faced life in prison if he’d been convicted at trial.
During Thursday’s hearing, Floyd’s brother called for Chauvin to receive the maximum sentence. “My brother was murdered in broad daylight with a knee to his neck for nine minutes,” Philonise Floyd said, according to a CNN report, adding that “George’s life matters.”
Chauvin’s attorney, Eric Nelson, asked for a lighter sentence of 20 years, or 240 months. He said that Chauvin has demonstrated respect for the court, is not a risk to be a repeat offender, and is no longer a police officer. Chauvin’s mother told the court that her son did not intend to kill Floyd.
Chauvin used a similar neck restraint on a black Minneapolis teenager, John Pope, in 2017. Pope, now 19, said in court on Thursday that he was traumatized by his encounter with Chauvin, and that during the event, “I thought I would take my last breath,” the Star Tribune reported.
Speaking before the court Thursday, Chauvin told Pope that he hoped he had the opportunity to “lead a very productive and rewarding life,” and he wished the Floyd family “all the best in their life.”
