Derek Chauvin Sentenced To 21 Years In George Floyd's Death

ST. PAUL, MN — Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced in federal court to 252 months — or 21 years —on Thursday following his conviction in George Floyd's death.

Chauvin will get credit for seven months of time already served. Chauvin’s attorney, Eric Nelson, had asked for 20 years.

In December, Chauvin pleaded guilty to charges of violating Floyd's federal civil rights after kneeling on the 46-year-old Black man on a city street until he became lifeless on Memorial Day 2020.

Chauvin — who is now the same age as Floyd when he died — also pleaded guilty to willfully depriving a 14-year-old of his constitutional rights in 2017. Read more about the 2017 case here.

During the hearing Thursday, Chauvin told Floyd’s family that he "wishes all the best" for Floyd’s children, but his remarks did not include an apology or show of remorse.

Thursday's federal sentence will run concurrently with the 22.5 years Chauvin is already serving for his state murder conviction in Floyd's death.

"In no uncertain terms, George Floyd should be alive today," said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division in a statement.

"Chauvin’s use of excessive force and his failure to provide medical care resulted in Mr. Floyd’s senseless murder. Chauvin’s unlawful actions in a separate incident also resulted in injury to a 14-year-old child. This sentence should send a strong message that the Justice Department stands ready to prosecute law enforcement officers who use deadly force without basis. While no amount of prison time can reverse the tragic consequences of Derek Chauvin’s violent actions, we hope that this sentence provides some small measure of justice for the families and communities impacted."

Under the plea agreement, Chauvin will serve his sentence in federal custody and will not be eligible to work in any law enforcement capacity following his release. He is expected to be safer in federal prison than in state prison.

Chauvin, along with the three other former Minneapolis police officers who were at the scene of Floyd's arrest — Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao — were federally indicted together in May 2021.

While Chauvin pleaded guilty in federal court, the three others decided to stand trial. In February, a federal jury found Kueng, Lane, and Thao guilty of violating Floyd's civil rights. They have yet to be sentenced.

The three-count indictment claimed that all four officers' actions resulted in Floyd's death.

Read the specific charges below:

Count one

Count one specifically notes that Chauvin held his left knee on Floyd’s neck — and his right knee on Floyd’s back and arm — while Floyd was handcuffed and not resisting. Chauvin kept his knees on Floyd’s body even after he became unresponsive, the count stated.

The indictment claims that Chauvin’s actions violated Floyd’s constitutional right to be free from the use of unreasonable force by a police officer.

Count two

Count two of the indictment claims Thao and Kueng "willfully failed to intervene to stop Chauvin’s use of unreasonable force."

Count three

Count three of the indictment claims that all four ex-officers watched Floyd lying on the ground "in clear need of medical care and willfully failed to aid him."

All four former offices "willfully deprived Mr. Floyd of his constitutional right not to be deprived of liberty without due process of law, which includes an arrestee’s right to be free from a police officer’s deliberate indifference to his serious medical needs," the indictment stated

State trial looms

Thao and Kueng face still face charges in state court of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter in Floyd's death.

Their co-defendant, former officer Thomas Lane, pleaded guilty to the same charges in May.

The state trial — which will be the final criminal trial over Floyd's death — is scheduled for January in Minneapolis.

Reporting from the Associated Press was used in this story.