Judge hands down sentence in George Floyd’s death

Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin received a 22 1/2-year prison sentence on Friday. That’s short of the prosecution’s request for 30 years, and he could get parole for good behavior after serving two-thirds of the sentence.

What were the charges? A jury in April convicted Chauvin of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter for kneeling on George Floyd’s neck for more than 9 minutes before the 46-year-old African American died.

Judge Peter Cahill exceeded the state’s sentencing guidelines and denied Chauvin’s request for a new trial. Members of Floyd’s family and Chauvin’s mother spoke at the sentencing.

Chauvin still faces a federal civil rights trial.

This story originally appeared in WORLD. © 2021, reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.