Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of murder in the death of George Floyd, has been sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison.
Hours before the hearing, Judge Peter Cahill denied Chauvin’s motion for a new trial, saying his attorney failed to prove abuses from the court as well as prosecutorial or juror misconduct.
In April, Chauvin was convicted of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Chauvin has been held at the state’s only maximum-security prison, the Minnesota Correctional Facility — Oak Park Heights.
Graphic videos captured Chauvin, who is White, kneeling on the neck of Floyd, who is Black, for more than nine minutes during a May 2020 arrest. Footage of the fatal encounter sparked outrage and re-ignited a nationwide movement against police reform and racial injustice.
Three other former officers involved in Floyd’s fatal arrest also face state and federal charges.
