George Floyd, at left, and Derek Chauvin.Photo: Splash
Former Minneapolis police officerDerek Chauvinhas been sentenced to 21 years in federal prison after pleading guilty last December to violatingGeorge Floyd’s civil rights in 2020 as well as those of a 14-year-old in 2017, according to multiple reports.
He will be given seven months credit for time served, making his sentence 245 months, or a little more than 20 years,KARE reports.
Prosecutors had asked for 25 years, while Chauvin’s defense attorneys had asked for 20 years.
“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,” U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson said during sentencing,CBS Minnesota reports.
The outlet reports Chauvin briefly addressed Floyd’s family, wishing his children “all the best in their life,” but he did not apologize.
In 2021, Chauvin was sentenced to 22.5 years in state prison in Minnesota after being convicted of second- and third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for the killing ofGeorge Floyd. He learned his fate for his federal conviction on Thursday in U.S. District Court.
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Chauvin pleaded guilty to one count of violating the person’s civil rights in each case, in exchange for prosecutors' agreement to dismiss other related charges,The Washington Postpreviously reported.
In exchange for his guilty plea, Chauvin requested he be allowed to serve his time in federal prison, as opposed to the state prison.
According toABC News, per the agreement he signed in U.S. District Court in St. Paul, Minn., Chauvin must serve at least 20 years of his federal sentence.
Citing the agreement, the outlet reports Chauvin could have potentially been paroled after serving 15 years of his 22.5 year state prison sentence. But with his federal sentence, he will serve at least 20 years.
Chauvin was fired a day after the murder.
Three other former police officers who responded to the call with Chauvin were also found guilty of violating Floyd’s civil rights.
Thomas Lane pleaded guiltyto state charges in May, while the state trials of Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng will begin in October.
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source: people.com
