When will Derek Chauvin be sentenced and will it be live streamed? Ex-cop back in jail after October release
Update: Minneapolis ex-police officer Derek Chauvin is now set to be sentenced June 16 on charges including second-degree unintentional murder in the death of George Floyd, a Minnesota court said on April 23. Chauvin’s attorneys will have 60 days to appeal the outcome. Chauvin’s sentencing will take place at 1:30 p.m. CT, according to the court schedule.
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Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all charges in the death of George Floyd on Tuesday, April 20. The hotly-anticipated verdict gave mourners of Floyd reason to celebrate after months of protest against racial injustice and police brutality. However, many are asking when Chauvin will be sentenced and the details surrounding the same. Here's what we know.
Judge Peter Cahill said that it will be another eight weeks before Chauvin is sentenced. The former cop has been out on bail since October, but Cahill revoked the same following the verdict. He will now be remanded in custody as he awaits sentencing, CNN reported.
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According to Minnesota Department of Corrections spokesperson Sarah Fitzgerald, Chauvin was transferred to the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Oak Park Heights, located in Stillwater, about 25 miles east of downtown Minneapolis.
Fitzgerald told CNN that the disgraced officer has been placed at the facility through an agreement between the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office and the Minnesota Department of Corrections.
While determining Chauvin's sentence, Cahill will consider factors including Floyd's murder taking place in front of a minor, as well as the power dynamic between the officers and civilians. Chauvin could face up to 40 years in prison for second-degree murder, up to 25 years for third-degree murder and up to 10 years for manslaughter. The sentencing will likely be live-streamed just as the proceedings were to date.
According to CNN, Minnesota's sentencing guidelines recommend about 12.5 years in prison for each murder charge and about four years for the manslaughter charge. However, the state has reportedly asked for a tougher sentence in this case.
Meanwhile, the three other officers charged in Floyd's death -- Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J Alexander Kueng -- are expected to be tried together in August. All three have been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter, per the outlet.
Floyd was arrested on suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill to buy a pack of cigarettes at a corner market in Minneapolis. The victim panicked and pleaded to police that he was claustrophobic when they tried to put him in a squad vehicle, and they pinned him to the ground.
Chauvin's trial stemmed from a bystander video that saw Floyd gasping. "I can't breathe," he said repeatedly as onlookers begged Chauvin to stop pressing his knee on Floyd's neck. However, the former cop did not stop. He placed his knee on Floyd for nearly 10 minutes, before he slowly went silent and limp.
Numerous states and cities restricted the use of force by police in the months that followed. Major changes were made to disciplinary systems, and police departments were subjected to higher scrutiny.
That said, Chauvin's guilty verdict gave critics in Minneapolis reason to celebrate around the city. Despite Covid-19 restrictions, people took to the streets surrounding the courthouse. Family members of Floyd also gathered at a Minneapolis conference room to celebrate the verdict. Meanwhile, at the corner where Floyd lost his life, a crowd chanted, "One down, three to go!" — referring to Thao, Kueng and Lane.
It's worth noting that defense attorneys for the former Minneapolis police officers had filed motions to move the trial out of Hennepin County alleging that the jury pool's perspective had been skewed by the media coverage of the high-profile case.