Floyd's family: 'We got justice.' Derek Chauvin sentenced to 22.5 years in prison

Jun. 25—An emotional sentencing hearing Friday ended with former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin receiving 22 and a half years in prison for the murder of George Floyd.

Chauvin's sentence was greeted with some measure of relief along with conflicted feelings by Floyd's family and many others who followed the case since his death while in police custody on May 25, 2020.

"We got justice, but not enough justice," said Floyd's nephew Brandon Williams. "I remember standing here the first day of trial in this very same spot. We were very optimistic and unsure of what was going to happen. After seeing the video, we should have been 100 percent sure that we would be at a guilty conviction with a maximum degree sentence."

Floyd's death, captured on video with him gasping for breath and begging for his very life, infuriated people across the nation. It highlighted past police-involved fatal shootings of Black people and fueled a move for police reform. It also elevated the Black Lives Matter cause and gave voice to many who said their concerns about police use of force had not previously been taken seriously.

JUDGE: 'I'M NOT BASING MY SENTENCE ON PUBLIC OPINION'

Chauvin was convicted April 20 of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. He was sentenced only for the most egregious charge, second degree murder.

The prosecution asked for 30 years, or more than twice the state's recommended sentence of 12 and a half years. The defense asked for probation, citing Chauvin's lack of criminal record and his cooperation in the trial.

Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill kept his comments brief and directed people to read his 22-page memorandum explaining his thought process behind the sentencing.

"I'm not basing my sentence also on public opinion," he said. "I'm not basing it on any attempt to send any messages. The job of a trial court judge is to apply the law to specific facts, and to deal with individual cases."

In the memorandum, he says probation was not an appropriate sentence "because it would be disproportionate and understate the severity of Mr. Chauvin's offense."

Rather, he added ten years to the state recommended sentence due to four aggravating factors — that Chauvin abused his position of authority, treated Floyd with particular cruelty, that the crime was seen by several children and that Chauvin committed the crime as a group with other participating officers.

"Mr. Chauvin manifested his indifference to Mr. Floyd's pleas for his life and his medical distress by, among other things, not rendering aid, by declining two suggestions from one of his fellow officers to place George Floyd on his side, by preventing bystanders, including an off-duty Minneapolis firefighter from assisting, by failing to render aid even after Mr. Floyd had passed out and by continuing to kneel on the back of Mr. Floyd's neck for more than two and a half minutes after one of his fellow officers announced he was unable to detect a pulse," Cahill wrote.

'WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?'

For Floyd's brother Terrence Floyd, it's been a year-long nightmare trying to understand how an arrest for his brother's alleged use of a counterfeit bill could go so wrong.

"I wanted to know from the man himself," he said, addressing Chauvin during the hearing. "Why? What were you thinking? What was going through your head when you had your knee on our brother's neck?"

Floyd's 7-year-old daughter Gianna Floyd was present virtually through a video phone call. She said she asks about her father all the time and wishes she could play with him.

"I miss you and I love you," she said of her father.

Philonise Floyd, another of Floyd's brothers, wiped his eyes as he spoke and asked the judge for closure for the family by giving Chauvin the harshest sentence possible.

"I was a trucker and immediately my life changed," he said, telling how he's spoken for his brother to people all over the world. "Every day I have begged for justice to be served, reliving the execution of George. I haven't had a real night's sleep because of the nightmares I have hearing my brother beg and plead for his life over and over again."

DEREK CHAUVIN LIKELY TO SERVE TWO-THIRDS OF SENTENCE IN PRISON

Since his April conviction, Chauvin has been held at the state's only maximum security prison in Oak Park Heights. According to the Minnesota Department of Corrections, Chauvin was taken back to that prison following the sentencing. He has been segregated from the general population for his own safety.

Chauvin will likely serve only about two-thirds behind bars presuming good behavior. The rest would be on supervised release.

"The presumptive term of imprisonment will be 15 years followed by seven and a half years of community supervision," said Mark Osler, a professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law.

For Chauvin's mother, Carolyn Pawlenty, she fears she may not live to see him released from prison. She spoke briefly at the sentencing.

"It has been difficult for me to hear and read that the media, public and prosecution team believed Derek to be an aggressive, heartless and uncaring person. I can tell you that is far from the truth," she said. "My son's identity has also been reduced to that of a racist. I want the court to know that none of these things are true and that my son is a good man. Derek is a quiet, thoughtful, admirable and selfless man. He has a big heart."

DEFENSE PLANS APPEAL

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said he hopes Chauvin and the nation will take the lessons learned from Floyd and put them into action.

"My hope for Derek Chauvin is that he uses his long sentence to reflect on the choices that he made," Ellison said. "My hope for our country is that this moment gives us pause and allows us to rededicate ourselves to the real societal change, change that will move us much further along the road to justice."

Chavin also spoke briefly at the sentencing.

"I want to give my condolences to the Floyd family," he said. His defense team has indicated they will appeal.

The other three officers at the scene of Floyd's death — J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao — are set to go to trial together in March. All three are charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. Their trial will be televised.

All four officers also face federal civil rights charges in the death of Floyd. No trial date has been set.

Frederick Melo contributed to this report.