The Jury Has Spoken: Derek Chauvin Guilty on All Counts – Murder and Manslaughter

For his actions, Chauvin could face up to a maximum of 40 years in prison for second-degree murder, and up to 25 years for third-degree murder, in addition to a maximum of 10 years for manslaughter. According to Minnesota sentencing guidelines, it is recommended that the guilty party serve 12.5 years in prison for each murder charge, and about four years for the manslaughter charge. In the Floyd case, Prosecutors have asked for tougher sentencing than the sentencing guidelines provide. It will be up to the Judge to determine the actual sentencing which will most likely be appealed. The Judge will also determine any aggravating factors, such as withholding medical aid once the victim no longer had a pulse, or that minors were present when Chauvin snuffed out Floyd’s life before them. That could add additional time to Chauvin’s sentence in mid-June.

Chauvin’s sentencing is set for June – eight weeks from his conviction by a jury. It is already eleven months after Chauvin was seen on videos that circulated across the US and around the world displaying what appeared to be Chauvin’s callous indifference to snuffing out the life of George Floyd. The video evidence exhibited Chauvin casually kneeling on the neck of the handcuffed Floyd, pinning him between his knee and the ground, handcuffed and lying face down on the street. The pleas by Floyd to breathe went unheeded as seen by the video, for 9 minutes and 29 seconds on May 25, 2020. During that time, Floyd gasped for air, repeatedly exclaiming “I can’t breathe” to which he eventually succumb and died.