Derek Chauvin was sentenced to more than 20 years in prison during a Thursday hearing (July 7), roughly seven months after pleading guilty to federal charges that he violated George Floyd’s civil rights in May 2020, NBC News reports.
Federal prosecutors sought out a higher sentence of 25 years noting that Chauvin abused his authority as a police officer when he knelt on Floyd’s neck for 9 1/2 minutes, ultimately killing him during an attempted arrest on May 25, 2020.
On the other hand, the defense asked for 20 years saying that Chauvin had expressed remorse for his actions and accepted responsibility for the heinous act.
He will now serve more than 20 additional years in prison, which includes credit for the time he has already served. As previously reported by REVOLT, Chauvin entered a guilty plea to avoid another high-profile trial.
Currently, he is serving a 22 1/2 year sentence following a guilty verdict of second and third-degree murder in an April 2021 state case for Floyd’s death. Chauvin was also charged with second-degree manslaughter at the time.
Initially Chauvin pleaded not guilty to the federal charges, but changed the plea in December when he also admitted to depriving a 14-year-old boy of his civil rights during a September 2017 incident.
Prior to his sentencing, Chauvin told the Floyd family that he wished them “all the best in their life.” He never apologized for his actions that led to Floyd’s death.
Several people spoke in court before Chauvin was sentenced, including Floyd’s brother, Philonise Floyd. He pushed for Chauvin to receive the maximum sentence and revealed that he has not had any real sleep since his brother was “murdered in broad daylight.”
Additionally, Philonise said that his family has received a “life sentence” because they will never get George Floyd back.