Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis Police officer wasdeclared guilty of the murder of George Floyd. The verdict was passed onTuesday, April 20 in Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis. Chauvin whoknelt on George Floyd’s neck for more than 9 minutes causing his death has beenfound guilty of all three charges against him.
He is convicted of second-degree unintentional murderwhich states Chauvin assaulted George Floyd with his knee that caused his death.The third-degree murder charge said that Chauvin acted with a ‘deprived mind.’The manslaughter charge stated that his ‘culpable negligence’ caused the deathof Floyd.
The jurors in Hennepixxxn County Court deliberated for morethan ten hours over two days, later declaring the former police officer guilty.The date for sentencing is set for eight weeks from now and the state has askedfor a tougher sentence.
The guilty could face 40 years of prison forsecond-degree unintentional murder. The maximum sentence faced for third-degreemurder could be 25 years and for the manslaughter charge, the sentence could beup to 10 years or USD 20,000.
Remembering George Floyd, many empathized with his familyand friends for their loss. After the verdict was passed, US President JoeBiden tweeted, “Today, a jury in Minnesota found former Minneapolis PoliceOfficer Derek Chauvin guilty of murdering George Floyd. The verdict is a stepforward. And while nothing can ever bring George Floyd back, this can be agiant step forward on the march towards justice in America.”
US president Joe Biden also said, “Let there be a legacyof peace, not violence. Those who see to exploit raw emotions of the moment,fan the flames of division, we can’t let them succeed. This is the time to uniteas Americans and fight racial prejudice.”