Former officer gets 21 years for violating Floyd’s civil rights
ST. PAUL, Minn. — A federal judge Thursday sentenced Derek Chauvin to 21 years in prison for violating George Floyd’s civil rights, telling the former Minneapolis police officer that what he did was “simply wrong” and “offensive.”
U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson criticized Chauvin for his actions on May 25, 2020, when the white officer pinned Floyd to the pavement outside a Minneapolis corner store for more than nine minutes as the Black man lay dying.
Floyd’s killing sparked protests worldwide in a reckoning over police brutality and racism.
Magnuson, who earlier this year presided over the federal trial and convictions of three other officers at the scene, blamed Chauvin for what happened. Chauvin was the senior officer present as police tried to arrest Floyd while responding to a 911 call accusing him of using a counterfeit $20 bill to buy cigarettes. And Chauvin rebuffed questions from one of the other officers about whether Floyd should be turned on his side.
“You absolutely destroyed the lives of three young officers,” Magnuson said.
Even so, Magnuson’s sentence was at the low end of the 20 to 25 years called for in a plea agreement in which Chauvin will serve the federal sentence at the same time he serves his 22 ½-year sentence for his state conviction of murder and manslaughter charges.
Because of differences in parole eligibility in the state and federal systems, it means Chauvin will now serve more time behind bars than on the state sentence alone. He would be eligible for parole after 15 years on the state sentence, but must serve almost 18 years of his federal time before he could be released.
He will also do his time in the federal system, where he may be safer.
Chauvin made no direct apology or expression of remorse to Floyd’s family. Instead, he told Floyd’s family that he wishes Floyd’s children “all the best in their life” and that they have “excellent guidance in becoming good adults.”
Floyd’s brother Philonise asked for the maximum possible sentence.
“My family and I have been given a life sentence,” the man said. “We will never get George’s life back.”
Chauvin’s mother, Carolyn Pawlenty, who also appeared at his state sentencing, told Magnuson that her son didn’t go to work intending to kill someone.
“Many things have been written about him that are totally wrong such as he’s a racist, which he isn’t, that he has no heart,” she said.
“I believe it is God’s will for all of us to forgive. Everyone in the state of Minnesota needs to heal and remember that all life matters, no matter the color of your skin. Every life matters,” she added.