Will Derek Chauvin get longer jail sentence? George Floyd's killer cop PLEADS GUILTY
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was convicted of 46-year-old Black man George Floyd's brutal custodial murder, was sentenced in June 2021 to 22.5 years in prison. Nearly six months into his sentence, the 45-year-old cop appears to have had a change of heart now. Reversing his earlier 'not guilty' plea, Chauvin pleaded guilty to violating George Floyd's civil rights, thus negating the need for further trial in January 2022. Sources reveal that Chauvin's decision for plea reversal happened as part of a deal with the federal prosecutors to help avoid another trial.
Presently, Chauvin is serving his sentence at the Oak Park Heights CityJail in Minnesota. He will be eligible for parole, but only after spending at least 15 years in prison. Meanwhile, his colleagues who witnessed and aided Chauvin in brutally killing a helpless Black man, are all set to face trials based on their individual charges. Former cops Tou Thao, Alexander Kueng, and Thomas Lane are also facing their own state cases after being charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. Speculations are now rife among the public on whether Chauvin's sentence would be increased further following his guilty plea.
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Admitting that his action towards Floyd was wrong, Chauvin stated that he had "callous and wanton disregard" for the Black man's life. Furthermore, his plea agreement revealed that Chauvin "was aware that Mr. Floyd not only stopped resisting, but also stopped talking, stopped moving, stopped breathing, and lost consciousness and a pulse,” according to ABC News.
Aside from George Floyd, Chauvin also pleaded guilty to an unrelated case from 2017, where he was charged with the use of force against a 14-year-old Black teenage boy.
However, the guilty plea will not be tantamount to more criminal charges against the white cop, as his federal sentencing is already done. On the other hand, Chauvin will still be eligible to appeal his state convictions. Upon his guilty plea, US District Judge Paul Magnuson needs to formally accept the same. He has ordered a presentence investigation at the moment and will sentence Chauvin at a future date.
The guilty plea will allow the judge to revisit his sentence and the defense and prosecutors have agreed to a sentence between 20 to 25 years. It is being predicted that Chauvin would be saved from a life sentence but has to serve anywhere from 17 years to 21.3 years in prison.
Journalist Amy Forliti from Associated Press explained, "If Magnuson sticks to the range outlined in the agreement, Chauvin will end up spending more time behind bars overall. The plea agreement says it's expected that the federal and state sentences would be served at the same time — not one after the other."
Meanwhile, George Floyd's family has shared their sentiments about Derek Chauvin acknowledging that he is guilty of the 46-year-old's brutal murder. Floyd's nephew Brandon Williams specifically noted, "Hearing him accept accountability was nice. But I didn’t feel a thing. That guy’s a monster ... He knew what he was doing. He had nine minutes and 29 seconds to understand what he was doing and stop kneeling. He chose not to.”