Derek Chauvin was sentenced for the murder of George Floyd today, June 25, 2021.
Several people, including members of Floyd’s family, took on the brutal task of testifying on Floyd’s behalf. These impact statements found people understandably emotional and upset, one witness calling the act “murder in slow motion.”
The judge in the case acknowledged the pain and grief people were feeling and announced that he would not belabor the sentencing with too much monologue.
“I acknowledge and hear the pain you are feeling,” said the judge.
He then said he would provide a 22-page memorandum attached to the sentencing which provides legal analysis that determined his reasoning for the sentencing.
Chauvin was found guilty on Count 1 and convicted of the offense for a period of 270 months — 10 additional to the presumptive sentence of 150 months. He was granted credit for 199 days served and told he would have to be registered as a predatory offender.
If you’re trying to do the math, 270 months is equivalent to 22 1/2 years.
Observers and analysts, including Van Jones and former Washington DC police chief, Charles Ramsey, were calling for a sentence above the guidelines for second-degree murder. It was a growing sentiment among television viewers, streamers and crowds of people on the ground.
For most, especially those in Minnestoa at George Floyd square, the outcome was not severe enough.
“If the roles were reversed and it was one of us, there would have been no trial,” Floyd’s brother Terrence said. “It would have been open and shut… we would have been thrown under the jail.”
