Derek Chauvin Sentenced to 22.5 years in Jail
Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin has been sentenced to 22 years and six months in prison for the murder of George Floyd.
In 2020, a lengthy video clip of a white police officer kneeling on a black man's neck until he passed away had gone viral. The incident occured in the USA's Minneapolis. The officer’s name was Derek Chauvin and the black man’s name was George Floyd. The police officer was fired and a case of murder was filed against him. Nearly a year later, in April 2021, Chauvin was found guilty of murder. On 25th June 2021, the sentencing hearing for Chauvin was held in court. Since the case was going on, Chauvin did not utter a single word during court proceedings. However, on 25th June he finally broke his silence.
He said : “I do want to give my condolences to the Floyd family. There’s going to be some other information in the future that would be of interest. And I hope things will give you some peace of mind.” He did not say more and many were left confused by his statements. Floyd’s family members took the stand and expressed sorrow about his death. They asked for the maximum penalty. Chauvin’s mother, Carolyn Pawlenty, took the stand to plead for mercy for her son. The Judge Peter A. Cahill announced that Chauvin has been sentenced to 22 years and six months in prison for the murder of George Floyd. Prosecutor Matthew Frank told the judge, “This is not a momentary gunshot, punch to the face. This is 9½ minutes of cruelty to a man who was helpless and just begging for his life. Chavin tortured floyd. Instead of 22 years and 6 months please extend the punishment to 30 years.” This is the first time in American History a police officer has been sentenced to jail for 22 and a half years but still many were unhappy with the sentencing. People on Social media said that if the same crime had been committed by a Black Person the punishment would have been even more strict.
