Policeman who killed African-American George Floyd sentenced to 22.5 years in prison

White policeman Derek Chauvin was sentenced Friday to 22.5 years in prison for the murder of African-American George Floyd, a heavy sentence that reflects the global impact of the drama. The lawyer of the family Floyd, Ben Crump, immediately welcomed a decision “historic” which according to him allows the close relations of the black forties and in the United States “to take one more step towards reconciliation”, after thirteen tumultuous months.

“I’m not trying to send a message”

Judge Peter Cahill stressed “acknowledging the deep and enormous pain endured by the Floyd family” but vowed not to have based his decision on “emotion or sympathy”. “I didn’t base myself on public opinion either, I’m not trying to send a message,” he said. The sentencing schedule in Minnesota recommends 12 and a half years in prison for murder. But Judge Cahill had retained, before the hearing, several aggravating factors. By suffocating George Floyd with his knee, on May 25, 2020, Derek Chauvin “abused his position of trust and authority” and acted “with great cruelty”, he wrote in particular.

For the first time since the tragedy, the 45-year-old policeman, who has become the epitome of police abuse in the United States, spoke publicly on Friday. “Due to pending legal issues I am not in a position to make a formal statement at this point but, briefly, I would like to offer my condolences to the Floyd family,” he said, without expressing or apologizing. no regrets. The relatives of the black forty-something had yet asked him for explanations.

“What did you have in mind when you knelt on my brother’s neck when you knew he was no threat?” Terrence Floyd launched him in particular, calling for a “maximum penalty”. Conversely, Derek Chauvin’s mother, who was also speaking for the first time, had asked for clemency for her son. Contrary to his public image, he has a “good heart”, assured Carolyn Pawlenty.

US President Joe Biden on Friday called Derek Chauvin’s conviction “fair”. “I don’t know precisely what circumstances were taken, but it seems fair to me,” said Joe Biden, asked about the verdict in the Oval Office at the start of his meeting with his Afghan counterpart Ashraf Ghani.

Events around the world

On May 25, 2020 in Minneapolis, Derek Chauvin wanted to arrest George Floyd, suspected of having used a fake $ 20 bill to buy cigarettes. With three colleagues, he had pinned him to the ground, handcuffed, before kneeling on his neck. The policeman had maintained his pressure for nearly ten minutes, indifferent to the groans of George Floyd but also to the pleas of distraught passers-by, even once the pulse of the forty-something had become undetectable.

The scene, filmed and uploaded by a young girl, quickly went viral and sparked huge protests around the world. Organized in March, the trial of Derek Chauvin had been followed by millions of Americans. For weeks, they relived the scene from all angles, heard the witnesses of the drama recount their trauma and attended an unprecedented parade of police officers, who came to denounce the attitude of their former colleague.

For his part, the accused’s lawyer, Eric Nelson, insisted that he had contented himself with following the procedures in force in the police force and that the death of George Floyd was due to health problems combined with the drug ingestion. The jurors were not convinced and took less than ten hours to find him guilty. Their decision, on April 20, was greeted with a great sigh of relief in the country, which feared it would flare up again if Derek Chauvin emerged free from the hearings.

“In good faith”

Me Nelson, has not changed line of defense. Prior to sentencing, he pleaded that his client had made “a good faith error” and requested a reduced sentence to the length of time already served.
He highlighted the risk that his client, who was imprisoned as soon as the verdict was announced in a high security establishment, would be killed in prison. At the same time, he asked for the trial to be canceled, in particular because of doubts about the impartiality of certain jurors. Friday morning, Judge Cahill dismissed his request, saying he had “failed to prove” his allegations.

The judicial file will not stop there: the three colleagues of Derek Chauvin will be tried in March 2022 for “complicity in murder” by the justice of Minnesota. In parallel, the four men will also face a trial in federal justice which indicted them for “violation of the constitutional rights” of George Floyd.