posted on Jun, 25 2021 @ 04:05 PM
Former Minneapolis
Police officer Derek Chauvin has been sentenced to 22½ years (270 months) in prison for the murder of George Floyd.
The punishment — which fell short of the 30 years that prosecutors had requested — came after Chauvin broke his more than yearlong silence in
court to offer condolences to the Floyd family and say he hopes more information coming out will eventually give them "some peace of mind."
With good behavior, Chauvin, 45, could be paroled after serving two-thirds of his sentence, or about 15 years.
In imposing the punishment, Judge Peter Cahill went beyond the 12 1/2-year sentence prescribed under state guidelines, citing "your abuse of a
position of trust and authority and also the particular cruelty" shown to Floyd.
Chauvin was immediately led back to prison. As with the verdicts in April, he showed little emotion when the judge pronounced the sentence. His eyes
moved rapidly around the courtroom, his COVID-19 mask obscuring much of his face.